The Brain on Art Series: Introducing Julia Cossarin
Kawartha Art Gallery first met Julia when after attending jewellery making classes, Julia brought a selection of her jewellery into the Gallery.
The Gallery was so impressed with the quality of her work that the Gallery purchased a quantity of her jewellery for selling in the Gallery’s gift shop. Julia went on to work for the Gallery for four years in a variety of positions.
Julia’s Jewels
Most of the stones Julia uses are ones that she has acquired over time from different shops on her travels, however some are ones that she found herself.
Julia uses a variety of wire including silver plated, brass, antique brass, gold colour and copper with each chain carefully handcrafted by Julia herself.
Below are two examples of Julia’s artworks created during her high school years.
Jump In and Express Yourself Exhibit:
THROUGH DIFFERENT LENSES by Julia Cossarin
In order to thrive in our community, our youth must be acknowledged through different lenses. I used the four pairs of glasses that I have worn throughout my childhood as inspiration. In the background, I included a map of Lindsay as a way of clearly illustrating the idea of community. Through each pair of lenses, the map is uniquely distorted to visually represent through abstraction the different means of supporting our youth. The bottom lenses focus on acceptance, safety, and caring for all youth (including LGBTQ, Indigenous, and people of different cultural backgrounds). The next pair of lenses represent community support to help youth to navigate the maze of life as they grow up. The lenses with the arrow imagery represent the directions needed to show our youth local opportunities. Finally, the lenses at the top communicate the importance of having youth stay in the community, become homeowners, and raise families.
Selective – Featuring the work of Grade 12 and International Baccalaureate Visual Arts students from I.E. Weldon Secondary School in Lindsay
The Spider’s Labyrinth by Julia Cossarin
I wanted to explore the theme of identity. The spider is symbolic of the part of our subconscious mind that dictates who we are and how we present ourselves to the world. The web is an inescapable labyrinth through which only the spider can navigate. This labyrinth is representative of the complexity of our minds. Is it impossible for us to truly alter the core of our identity without tapping into some deeply rooted force?
About Julia and her thoughts on the Arts:
My name is Julia, and I am entering my fourth and final year in the Bachelor of Design program at York University, specializing in branding, advertising, and graphic identity.
During my time working at the Kawartha Art Gallery, I came to appreciate the importance of context in art. Working with the permanent collection records deepened my understanding of the pieces themselves, and I learned about the artists - some contemporary, others from over a century ago; some small-town hobbyists, other members of the Group of Seven.
Each artist’s life was shaped by the community they lived in, and their work, in turn, helped shape that community. In this way, art preserves and communicates history, allowing us to step into someone else’s story in order to better understand our own.
Art is never just colours and shapes on a canvas. It is not created in isolation. The people, stories, and intentions behind each piece are what give it meaning.
That is the key: meaning. I’ve come to see that meaning lies at the heart of creativity—not only in fine art but also in my own field of graphic design. Every project begins with a goal, the “sticky centre” around which the process is built—ideation, research, critique, adjustment, and refinement—all in service of that goal. This mindset extends beyond the arts and into life itself, shaping how I approach challenges and encouraging me to maintain a thoughtful, critical eye.
