Sydney inner-west artist Julia Parisi always loved to draw and paint as a kid until life got in the way of that passion.
However, when she was going through a bit of a rough patch, she used this creating process as a form of art therapy.
“Family and friends would come over to the house and comment on my pieces, which gave me a great confidence boost and then I got asked to do my first commission set of tigers and the rest is history,” she enthuses.
“Julia Parisi Art has been operating as a retail art and accessory business since mid-2020 to the public. We expanded into delivering handmade accessories including earrings, bookmarks, cufflinks, keychains and cards fit for our customer base as perfect nuggets of self-expression and colour into everyone’s lives.”
Parisi hopes to expand her wholesale range and connect with more retailers as she’s been going door to door and having conversations with owners from local boutiques about stocking the brand’s products.
“I joined forces with my sister to build up the business beyond commission requests and I love working with Vanessa, it has been fun.
“It does make it easier to work on the business since we still live together, so we can get a lot more done. She’s also got the background in marketing and ecommerce which makes my life a lot easier and I can concentrate on creating beautiful pieces.”
The majority of the collections of both artwork and accessories are chosen and designed based on what Parisi prefers to create as opposed to working on pieces that are popular or on trend.
“This approach really allows me to stay true to my strengths as an artist and I can curate a collection that resonates with customers.
“I love to be able to craft something that makes other people smile and I get a lot more satisfaction from these pieces when they have a meaning behind them or I’m experimenting with colours and styles.”
Recently the brand has been releasing pieces from its new African Women collection. These women are so lively and yet hold such power and strength in their stance and profile, says Parisi.
“Their beauty amazes me and I absolutely love painting them with bright coloured accents to highlight the texture and liveliness of their skin.
“With the recent launch of our 2022 wholesale catalogue, we are eager to get started on curating our first solo art exhibition later in the year. As we finish up with our latest [African Women] collection, we hope to be able to showcase the entirety of our large canvas range in all our recent styles and, fingers crossed, apply and succeed to enter the 2023 Sydney Royal Easter Show Art Exhibition.”
