ABOUT ME/MY STORY
To me, my name Juju Rootz represents a soul deep reverence and commitment to our mystical and divine roots and the magic of knowing the wisdom of the divine as it is represented in all forms. I think my journey of expression through art has been a gift and an opportunity to express my self and my love and devotion to the truth and beauty in all people of every culture and tradition.
In my current collection In Her Temple, I am exhibiting my impressions of the divine feminine focusing on the inner strength of women and their individual representations of the divine; expressing the nature of woman as reflective of the divine creation as well as the creators of it. Alluding to the ultimate truth that reverence for the divine feminine is quintessentially the most intricate part of humanities saving grace. It is meant to invoke joy, a sense of deep awareness and respect of the divine, our ancestors and the roots of our beginnings.
Visual expression in all forms brings me infinite joy and a sense of purpose. My art is my passion as well as my medicine. As a painter and an artist I am an expressionist, impressionist, realist, innovator and weaver of the imagination. I am devoted to exploring and expressing a divine connection throughout all of my collections.
My personal story exists in each piece of art I produce. I am a single mother of four amazing human beings, born to second generation Italian-Americans, I was raised to be a fiercely independent woman and to believe in myself and as such, I became a painter, multi-disciplinary artist, designer and teacher working in textiles, batik, printing, painting, sculpting and clothing design. I have taught for over 20 years as a Language Arts, fine arts, and writing educator.
Artist Q & A:
Who am I ?
I’m an artist, a mother, an innovator, a teacher and a writer. My personal journey through this life has been full of unique and amazing experiences, some rugged paths lead to the greatest joys! All of which has taught me divine reverence, wisdom, faith, gratitude, humility, compassion, forgiveness, kindness and realness. I am all about unconditional love, ’free’ thinking, becoming my best self, inspiring others to do the same, and I am passionate about creative expression through art. As an artist I am innovative and exploratory. I am devoted to the craft and gift of creation. Learned at the knee from the greatest teachers, raised up humbly, consciously, magically, rooted and committed to be ethically and morally aware of the divine interconnectedness of all.
Whats my purpose as an artist ?
My purpose as an artist and of my art is to relish in the joy of creation, to ignite awareness, inspire, motivate, to bring beauty and joy to people and to encourage deep thinking.
How do I view my experience as an artist?
I love creating and making art everyday! I view the ability to create as a sacred gift and the act of creating art is not only one of my greatest passions but grants me a life purpose. It is a true meditation and helps me to develop a sense of self, self discipline, personal healing and I love the process of creation, and the challenge of becoming the best artist I can be. I view it is an everyday blessing.
What is my art about ?
My art reflects a self journey, about finding the power within, an inner strength and of healing. is about self discovery, staying true to who you uniquely are. It is about transformation, illumination and divine reverence. My art is about the beauty and strength in women. It is also about connecting with the interconnectedness of our roots and cultures; knowing who you are and where you are going, for yourself, family and community, and ultimately within humanity.
What kind of artist am I ?
I am a painter and a multi- disciplinary artist who works in acrylics, oils, textiles, fabrics, eco-fashion design, up-cycled creations, photography and sculptures. I am continually exploring, learning and practicing new techniques and experimenting with a multitude of art mediums.
Whats my style like ?
My styles combine elements of abstract, realism and expressionism. It is uniquely a reflection of me as I intend to impress through my work the inner connectedness and appreciation between all. It at times combines rugged, natural and raw elements, in both techniques and meanings. I think my art is distinctive once presented as a whole collection there are common themes that are present throughout.
What techniques and tools do I use ?
As a multi-media artist I love to move through combinations of materials to design the whole piece, whether in creating fabric quilted pieces or paintings. My techniques are unique in that I’ve often combined many mediums together. In some pieces combining several layers of paint, marker, spray paint, and fabric dyes.
What do people experience and express when seeing my art?
After reviewing the pieces the initial experience, it has been expressed that it is beautiful and has powerful imagery, and that it expresses the divine feminine and the strength of women. Also that the mood, colors and textures creates an emotional intuitive response, that the art is relatable and inviting, that it brings joy or reminds viewer of personal experiences.
What are some of my subjects and themes present in my work?
Subjects that drive my work are the love and appreciation of our global community, celebration of the beauty and uniqueness in diversity, self discovery, relationships between people, self and nature and to the larger universe, the spiritual connection to nature and the divine. I think one of the most common themes is the contemplation, examination and preservation of women. As well as elements of the artists life experiences and perspective.
What do I hope my art achieves?
I hope my art succeeds in that it creates joy and/or triggers an emotional experience, that the viewer’s develop an innate connection to the art; that it encourages an intuitive personal awareness and inspires and reminds each viewer of a unique perspective of the divine feminine, the deeper connections or roots that we all share as individuals and as humanity. I hope it inspires people to develop a new or deeper perspective of self, to create and pursue their dreams that it reminds them of love, strength and the tiny miracles that show us of our divine connections and higher purposes.
What are some of my past work and collections?
Other collections I’ve developed are in surface design, printing, fabric paintings, textiles quilted pieces and batiked pieces which portray reflections of the relationships between the individual and nature, often highlighting the roots of our nature. As a clothing designer, I love working within the deconstruction and reconstruction of up-cycled eco-designed clothing, not only as an artist who loves fabrics and clothing and appreciates sculptural design as it pertains to clothing . I created powerful images to paint or attach to the clothing as patches, often expressing cultural ideas as evocative symbols.
What are some of my past exhibitions?
Exhibited in Miami in 2004/5 Damien B. Contemporary Art Gallery @ the first Art Basel
Eugene Fashion Week 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015
“Follow your passions, they lead to your greatest joys”