Reflection, oil on canvas by Julian Cardinal

When discussing his process, Cardinal explains that he prefers to work quickly as a means to preserve the initial intention that he set out to do when beginning a piece. “I choose images that my style works well with,” he says. “Compositionally, I prefer simple subject matters and lines. I often pick black and white photos that I can add an element of color and depth too. I’ll look through hundreds of pictures, and will usually pick a couple from that list. When I paint nudes and flowers, however, I like to paint live. There is something about setting up a bouquet and painting it that is very rewarding.”

He draws inspiration from vintage subject matter, especially early 20th century French fashion, an aesthetic component that crosses over into his real life as well. He says, “I love fashion in general and buy a lot of clothes cut by certain designers. I was inspired by the many 20th Century fashion books I had, finding myself attracted to the curved and sharp lines in the dress. Once I gain a sense of the picture’s composition, I can then duplicate the images using different sized canvases, colors and line patterns. My goal is to combine the vintage style of fashion with contemporary Expressionism.”