Portals presents small watercolor paintings and relief prints by Julie Oppermann. In her work, Oppermann borrows imagery from textile patterns, wallpaper designs, and other decorative arts. The collage of these elements creates intimate dreamscapes—drawing the viewer into an imaginative world of colors, patterns and shapes. In all of the paintings, colors, lines and forms come together in unexpected ways. The layering of elements creates an illusion of depth and space, and the transparency of the watercolors allows the bottom layers to be visible though the top layers.

Julie Oppermann recently moved to Berkeley from New York City, where she earned her B.F.A. at The Cooper Union School of Art in 2004. She also holds a B.A. in Biological Sciences from Hunter College, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2007. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Neuroscience at UC Berkeley. As an artist and a scientist, she is interested in how colors, shapes and patterns are perceived by the eye, and how they affect the viewer. Julie’s paintings have been exhibited widely in solo and group shows at galleries throughout the Bay Area, as well as in New York. You can see more of her recent work, as well as find out about other shows, at www.julieoppermann.com.

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