JULIAN VADAS

Julian Vadas grew up in Ohio and completed a BFA in painting from the State University of New York-Potsdam in 2009. He creates elaborate, organic abstractions in oil and acrylic on wood and paper. Thematically his work is concerned with intimations of consciousness beyond personal identity. The direct experience of such states is by nature an abstract experience, meaning that it cannot be arrived at through intellectual or analytic routes. This results in  imagery and creative methods that reflect a commitment to abstraction for the sake of abstraction. Although his aesthetic is directly informed through deep observation of the rhythms, patterns and textures of the natural world, his paintings do not describe anything literal.

Immediately upon completing his BFA, Julian left for a year in India with a stack of watercolor paper, a simple set of colors, and a couple small brushes. The idea was to gather direct experiences while completing simple exercises in form, movement, and color; instead of focusing on completion of large finished works. This began a pattern of artistic process which has continued for years, moving between the creation of large series of small works on paper while traveling extensively, and staying put in a studio setting for weeks of dedicated focus on large-scale works. . 

Following this approach, Julian’s work has been exhibited in a variety of settings around the world,  including Toronto, New York City, Turkey, Italy, Morocco, the Netherlands, Suriname, Costa Rica, and India. He attended long-term remote residencies in the Amazon Rainforest in 2011 and the Sahara Desert in 2013; as well as an urban residency and solo exhibition at Halka Art Project – Istanbul in 2014. From Istanbul he moved back to India, basing himself in Rishikesh for a full 5 years and eventually becoming the founder and facilitator of his own Artist-in-Residence program. Three different sessions of his Rishikesh Creative Confluence hosted artists from India, the US, and Canada between October 2018 and May 2019. 

Julian is now based full-time in Nevada City, California. 

JULIAN VADAS

Julian Vadas grew up in Ohio and completed a BFA in painting from the State University of New York-Potsdam in 2009. He creates elaborate, organic abstractions in oil and acrylic on wood and paper. Thematically his work is concerned with intimations of consciousness beyond personal identity. The direct experience of such states is by nature an abstract experience, meaning that it cannot be arrived at through intellectual or analytic routes. This results in  imagery and creative methods that reflect a commitment to abstraction for the sake of abstraction. Although his aesthetic is directly informed through deep observation of the rhythms, patterns and textures of the natural world, his paintings do not describe anything literal.

Immediately upon completing his BFA, Julian left for a year in India with a stack of watercolor paper, a simple set of colors, and a couple small brushes. The idea was to gather direct experiences while completing simple exercises in form, movement, and color; instead of focusing on completion of large finished works. This began a pattern of artistic process which has continued for years, moving between the creation of large series of small works on paper while traveling extensively, and staying put in a studio setting for weeks of dedicated focus on large-scale works. . 

Following this approach, Julian’s work has been exhibited in a variety of settings around the world,  including Toronto, New York City, Turkey, Italy, Morocco, the Netherlands, Suriname, Costa Rica, and India. He attended long-term remote residencies in the Amazon Rainforest in 2011 and the Sahara Desert in 2013; as well as an urban residency and solo exhibition at Halka Art Project – Istanbul in 2014. From Istanbul he moved back to India, basing himself in Rishikesh for a full 5 years and eventually becoming the founder and facilitator of his own Artist-in-Residence program. Three different sessions of his Rishikesh Creative Confluence hosted artists from India, the US, and Canada between October 2018 and May 2019. 

Julian is now based full-time in Nevada City, California.