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Julie Speidel’s sculptures engage an extraordinary array of cultural influences, reaching back through antiquity to the stone- and bronze-age peoples of Europe, the early Buddhists of China, the indigenous tribes of her native Pacific Northwest, and on into twentieth-century modernism. Depending on our own spheres of knowledge, we may find in her work echoes of the British Isles’ megalithic stone structures, Cycladic Greek fertility figures, Native American totem poles, and dozens of other iconic cultural forms, some universally recognized, others buried by history. At the same time, her work is strongly linked to that of modernists like Henry Moore and Picasso, who were likewise enormously influenced by the language of antiquity and sought to reinterpret it through a contemporary lens.

Speidel often works at the intersection between figuration and abstraction, suggesting the human form though combinations of elegantly simple shapes. At times, her sculptures appear to diverge from the figure altogether, but they often preserve the basic components of bodies: circles and ovals evocative of heads, vertical forms echoing limbs. On the other hand, they seem inextricably linked to the natural world, their forms equally influenced by boulders and trees. It’s a dichotomy that, at its core, taps directly into the intimate connection ancient people felt with the earth.

“The inspiration for my work is rooted in the power of travel,” Speidel remarks, and indeed, her sculptures assimilate cultural influences in a manner reminiscent of travelogue--organic and intuitive, not academic or preordained. Her work encourages us to make complex associations, but it delights as well in purely formal properties: color, carefully poised compositions, the natural qualities of bronze, glass, and stone. Seen in a landscape, Speidel’s sculptures have a Zen-like relationship with the surrounding area, humbling themselves to the natural world while simultaneously enhancing it, amplifying its effect. When installed indoors, they act as oases of nature, exuding an enigmatic, earthy quality despite their manmade origins, as if in conversation with the organic universe. This, perhaps, is among the most remarkable aspects of Speidel’s sculpture: its capacity to engage in dialogue with the world—not only with its natural elements, but also with the whole of human history and art.

Born: 1941 in Seattle, Washington

Education: 1967-68 Cornish Institute, Seattle, Washington. 1961-63 University of Grenoble, France. 1959-61 University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Selected Solo Exhibitions: 2008 - Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA; “Karasuk”, Winsten Wächter Fine Art, New York, NY; “Yorro Yorro”, Winsten Wächter Fine Art, Seattle WA. 2007 - “Sibu,” Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho; “Chalicidice,” Winston Wachter Fine Art, Seattle, Washington. 2006 - “Govannon,” Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho. 2005 - “Ancient Deities,” Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho. 2004 - "Unearthed", Winsten Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, Washington. 2003 - “Chakpori” Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho. 2002 - “Nod to Xian” Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, Washington; Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho. 2001 - 'Cerne Abbas', Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho. 2000 - 'Threshold Guardians', Foster/White Gallery, Seattle, Washington; Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho.

Selected Group Exhibitions: 2008 - Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, and San Francisco, California. 2007 - Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, and San Francisco, California; Winsten Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, Washington and New York, NY; Susan Street Fine Art, Solano Beach, California; Outdoor Sculpture Invitational, Westcott Bay Reserve, Friday Harbor, Washington; Bellevue Art’s Museum’s Plaza, Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, Washington. 2006 - “Holiday 2006,” Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho; “Spring Highlights,” Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, Washington; Outdoor Sculpture Invitational, Westcott Bay Reserve, Friday Harbor, Washington; Julie Nester Gallery, Park City, Utah; Susan Street Fine Art, Solano Beach, California; Winston Wächter Fine Art, New York, New York; Bellevue Art’s Museum’s Plaza (four sculptures), Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, Washington. 2005 - Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue Arts Museum’s Plaza – 4 sculptures, Bellevue, Washington; Allene Lapides Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico; ‘Lucky 7: 7 Women Artists from the Northwest,’ Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, Washington; ‘North by Northwest’, Winsten Wächter Fine Art, New York, NY; ‘Art Invitational 2005’, Commissioned Artist, Vashon Allied Arts, Vashon Island, Washington. 2004 - Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho; ‘Benchmark,’ LongHouse Reserve, East Hampton, New York; Allene Lapides Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico; ‘Outdoor Sculpture Invitational,’ Westcott Bay Reserve, Friday Harbor, Washington; ‘Four from the Northwest,’ Winsten Wächter Fine Art, Seattle. 2003 - Winston Wächter Fine Art, New York, New York & Seattle, Washington; Museum of Northwest Art, La Conner, Washington; ‘Shades of Summer,’ Susan Street Fine Art Gallery, Solana Beach, California; ‘Outdoor Sculpture Invitational,’ Westcott Bay Reserve, Friday Harbor, Washington; Tercera Gallery, San Francisco, California. 2002 - ‘In the Garden’, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, Washington; Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho; ‘Outdoor Sculpture Invitational,’ Westcott Bay Reserve, Friday Harbor, Washington; Foster/White Gallery, Kirkland, Washington; Tercera Gallery, San Francisco, California; ‘Outdoor Sculpture Invitational,’ Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington. 2001 - Vanier Galleries, Scottsdale, Arizona; Foster/White Gallery, Seattle, Washington; Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho.

Selected Commissions & Collections: Swedish Orthopedic Institute, Seattle, Washington. Shafer Vineyard, Napa, California. University of Washington, Paul G Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering, Alberg Terrace, Seattle, Washington. Heller Ehrman Law Firm, New York, New York. Suncadia Resort, Roslyn, WA. Federal Court House, Seattle, Washington. United States Embassies Collection, (three embassies). Boeing Commercial Airplane Group Headquarters, Tukwila,WA