Juliana Coles

Juliana Coles

Juliana Coles, Grand Mal II Mied Media on Paper

Juliana Coles – “As an epileptic, my reality is somewhat altered. It is through my work, whether it be a painting, drawing, Artist Book or Mixed Media Visual Journal that I have sought to piece together and understand my fragmented memories. My images are an attempt to create a personal history that I was not always a conscious participant in, as well as to raise awareness and compassion in the viewer by challenging them with my experience. My art empowers me to create order, clarity, and understanding in the midst of abnormal cerebral function."

“Presently I am at work on “Mysterious Disappearances Probed,” an Illustrated Book in Visual Journal format that describes my experience of life Subject to Seizure. A Visual Journal is a mixed media book of self-expression that combines journal writing with art making in order to simultaneously access both the left and right hemispheres of the brain for deeper introspection. This is the creative process I designed. I teach internationally and also present my student show, now in it’s 6^th year, that profoundly challenges humanity with its rawness and honesty. This process promotes self- awareness, growth, and transformation. When this book is published, I hope it will encourage others to begin to speak out about their secret world in order to facilitate open discussion and emotional healing. I can’t heal my brain, but I can work through my feelings of inadequacy, that I was somehow a mistake, or that I must have done something terribly wrong to deserve this. My handicap has become my gift: no longer a handicap, but the intense essence of who I am and the very foundation of my mission in life. My brain is the delicate and imperfect core of the unique vision of my artwork and my teaching, and for that, I am grateful and full of respect for the mystery of this life.”