Local Artist Shows Paintings at Gallery 505

In Julie du Plessis' paintings, ballerina arms reach to the sky, legs leap through the air, and bodies arch in patterns that pull the viewer into a timeless motion within thick globs of oil paint.

Dozens of such pieces, some still wet with paint, are for sale at until Sunday. Plessis is one of just two local artists the gallery regularly displays, and this weekend was the gallery's first solo show in two years.

Du Plessis, who now lives in Glendale, grew up on a ranch in Arizona, which she credits for stirring in her a reverence for the delicacy of life and a feeling of transcendence that she often returns to in her artwork.

"I would lie in the grass and imagine the whole universe while simultaneously entertaining myself by looking at the smallest insect," she wrote in an autobiographical summary. "At times I would envision myself giving my life to something great, to die young, sacrifice everything, to suffer for a cause."

Du Plessis said her art started "bursting" out of her seven years ago after many years of raising her children.

"That quiet stage is important," she said. "You don't know you're growing while you're in it, but you probably are."

Looking at her art, you can see how the subjects could have entered her eyes as a child, matured within her and burst back out. They are pure in spirit, but laden with life stories in the rich colors and deep textures.

Dancers, nude figures and horses caught mid-motion all seem to be reaching for something with their whole mind and body. 

"I stand in awe of humanity and nature, for the sacrifices given in that of living life and giving life," Plessis wrote in her autobiography. "It is there I feel compelled to whisper and tread the ground lightly. It is there I am sanctified and feel an upward pull."

Other subjects are more grounded and quiet. Du Plessis said if she were to put her art into two categories they would be "still" and "moving."

The still paintings come as a surprise among the gradiose leaps and gestures. In one, a figure crouches with his head down; in another, a woman's back is turned to the viewer. They bring balance to the collection, a reminder that between leaps of faith there is rest and comfort in what is constant. But in each painting, the subjects effortlessly lure the viewer into their heads, offering a lift to a more meditative place. 

"There's a deep place I go to when I paint," du Plessis said. "I can go about 10 days without painting, and then do three pieces in a weekend."

Throughout the show, Gallery 505 Owner Thomas Harris greeted visitors and asked them, "What's your favorite painting?"

He said he makes a point of starting discussions about paintings with that question.

"We don't sell art based on anything other than, 'do you like it?'" he said. "Because that's what it's all about. We find that the non-approach is best."

Harris said the gallery has not done a solo show in two years because they worried the market was not there. But the place was packed Thursday night, and Harris said three of Plessis' pieces were bought before the show even started.

Harris said he chose du Plessis' show to break the lull because her style fit with his own and that of the gallery.

"I like brighter colors, and happier textures," he said. "I want art that lifts me up."

Anyone can at Gallery 505.