Julia Kooijman

Julie Kooijman-Pieler was born in Argentina and studied chemistry, which proved to be very convenient during her artistic career. 43 Years ago, she moved to Curaçao following her husband Joop Kooijman, where she feels right at home.
Thirty-nine years ago, July started taking ceramic lessons with the then only ceramics teacher on the island, Mrs. Solange Gravenhorst, who was a highly respected artist. Soon she became knowledgeable in the basics of ceramic creations and liked it so much that she decided to continue her studies in 1977 and ’78 in Miami, Florida UA, where she obtained her license as a ceramic’s teacher. Thereafter, she followed a porcelain painting course given by the famous artist Ruth Little, at Lubbock, TX USA.
She bought her first electric kiln in Miami, so she could fire her own ceramics and porcelain. Currently she uses a huge gas fired kiln. Soon after the purchase of the first oven Julie started to teach ceramic to interested ladies in Miami and one of them, Vicky Aguiton, later became a well-known ceramics artist in Trinidad.
Over the years Julie Kooijman had various successful exhibitions in Curaçao with very good reviews all over.
After moving to smaller premises, she stopped teaching, but keeps working mostly on ceramic and porcelain objects. Her specialty is the finishing of her objects, where she polishes the work time after time to obtain the results she is seeking for. Then comes the decisions to either polish of raku the works. She uses very special techniques to get the patterns on her work, with very beautiful results. She enjoys the wonder of her creations after they have been fired and most of all how the colors, she mixes herself come out.
The energy and enthusiasm of Julie is very contagious.

Gallery Alma Blou is happy to share her work with you an we look forward to welcome you for the opening reception on Friday June 3, from 6.30 – 8.00 pm.
The exhibition will be on show till June 18, 2022