Art is dynamic poetry, functioning imagination, active creation.  As an artist, I see my art as what unfolds as it unfolds, and for me is quite a different thing than what is created.  What is left over, the thing that can be hung on a wall, is the result of the artistic process.  It is both a testament to its dynamic life and an image through which to be inspired by.   Once the piece is completed, it becomes for me, a relic of the art I experienced during its creation.  At this point, the potential for creative link shifts and becomes for the viewer, the possibility for their own creativity.  Their own art.    

If there’s a goal to art, it would be to facilitate a relationship with something outside of ourselves (inspiration, spirit, divinity, God) by providing an opportunity for interconnectivity through mediums such as images, music, or poetic words.   Some of us have been in that space where we are moved so profoundly by an artistic work that we’re certain our lives have been forever changed.   Sometimes, the feeling is more subtle and a piece might bring up a pleasant sense of joy or happiness or even unease.  However a piece affects you, the recognition of the connection is as significant as the connection itself.  Julie Strong was born in Salt Lake City, UT, and grew up in Alpine, UT, where she began to study classical ballet and noticed an interest in sketching and drawing.  As a student at East High School in Salt Lake City, one of her pencil drawings was purchased by the school through their student art program.  After high school, she danced professionally with Wisconsin Ballet Theater, furthering her love of artistic things through physical, artistic expression and classical music.  

When creating a work, I'm heavily reliant on the personality of the materials and find that most times, they know what they want to do.  Starting with a loosely-held idea, shape, or color, the base is hand-felted, then bits of wool, cotton, silk, and beads, and other materials are layered in multiple times and stitched to the point where the piece feels whole.  Most of my pieces are framed by old and antique frames which I repair and refinish with the final piece in mind.  
Each person will see, hear, and feel a different song through these images, which is precisely how it should be.  Like snowflakes, no two experiences are alike.  

… “for the heliotrope moves to the extent that it is free to move, and in its rotation, if we could hear the sound of the air buffeted by its movement, we should be aware that is is a hymn to its king, such as it is within the power of a plant to sing.”   Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi  ~  Henry Corbin