Julius Malkin artworks are currently in store at Luumo Design and we sat down with him to discuss his life and inspiration when it comes to his work.

Tell us a little bit about yourself...
I was born and grew up in South Africa in a small (I mean small) town on the Highveld where my family were farmers and general dealers. These early impressions of the Highveld light and landscape have always underlined and informed my work. I studied painting and printmaking in Cape Town in the early 1970s. We left South Africa at that time chiefly because of the oppressive Apartheid regime and relocated to London where I continued my post graduate studies at Central St Martin’s School of Art. I have exhibited my work in London, Brighton and Cape Town. 

Where do you find your inspiration?
As mentioned above I have always found my inspiration in landscape and the natural world. While most of my work is not directly representational and is in fact purely abstract it is always informed by the immediate visual world. For example, my recent work is directly influenced by the ocean and the sandstone cliffs of the eastern seaboard. 

What do you love about Australia?
I have lived in Australia for close to 20 years and what I love about this place is the physical feeling of living in the southern hemisphere. The huge skies, the beautiful birds, the towering gum tress, the pristine blue Pacific Ocean. What I love is the immediacy and physicality of nature and how instantly accessible and tangible it is. All this resonates so much with my experiences of the landscape and natural world where I grew up. 

Who are your biggest influences?
My main influences in painting range from the Cubists, especially Juan Gris, through to Kandinsky, the Russian Constructivists, the American Abstract Expressionists, the Process painters of the 60’s including Mark Rothko, Morris Louis and Helen Frankenthaler, and my late friends and colleagues Kevin Atkinson and Trevor Goss, amongst others.

What are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on a series of paintings where the challenge is about disrupting the notion of composition and within a structured palette exploring the way in which a consistently used painting process reveals the image. Again, these paintings are ultimately inspired by the natural world.

When you're not working, where can you be found?
When not in the studio in Alexandria or at home I can be found pursuing my other passions, swimming and cycling. On those days I can be found at an ocean pool in the eastern suburbs (where the views and coffees are superb) or on cycling days at Green Mango in Clovelly (ditto about the coffee).

For more information on Julius Malkin including the artworks displayed in store please contact us at info@luumodesign.com.