This month we are featuring Julie Byrne for the Capitol Hill Art League’s Mind of the Artist blog. Read Julie’s story and check out her artwork below.
It was in 2016 when I began a photo Diary. Photography had always been a part of my portfolio but for years I had used it more as a sketch book of references and ideas for my colored pencil drawings than an end in itself. Though I can never remember not having a camera or taking photographs, photography was still a tool for me and not an end in itself.
But gradually, photography became the medium I chose for specific reasons. Living in Washington it was easy to see the city was changing politically and culturally. A pandemic soon overshadowed the world, and I began to document the city I was now seeing, the stillness, the deserted streets and closed businesses. Protests were occurring almost daily, filling my portfolio with new images.
We were a city changing, and retirement allowed me the time to be a witness of what I saw.
Ten years have passed. I have taken a lot of photographs since I started my diary. I have continued to document Washington DC through my photography. Washington has always been the impetus for my work. Hours spent at the public gardens garnered a lifelong love of plants and drawing hyperrealistic plants. Since then I have discovered through my photography that being still often invites the best
vantage point of capturing the fleeting moments of a city.
It is my aim to continue to document these moments in the photographic journey of my diary.
One response
Julie’s photographs are timely and great visual notices of what is taking place in Capitol, DC. She has the keen eye of a news worthy documentarian and her images are captivating, always. I am glad she is roaming the streets of DC with camera in hand! Thanks Julie.