Julio Razquin was born in 1964 in the province of Mendoza, one of the world's largest and finest wine producing regions, which lies at the foot of the magnificent Andes mountains in western Argentina.
At the age of 7, Julio's family moved to the United States, where he called New York City and New Jersey home for the next eight years of his life. At age 12, his artwork was already being shown at a Citibank branch in Brooklyn, New York City, as a result of winning a contest sponsored by that financial institution. He continued to learn and develop throughout his teenage years, entirely on his own, a unique approach to drawing and a very personal style.
By age 15, Julio was back in his native Argentina. Having experimented with different mediums, he never seemed to achieve the effect, energy, and visual impact that he longed to convey through his art; after attempting to work with watercolors, oil, and pastels, he returned to his first love, the pencil. The striking contrast of darks and lights through shading with the pencil seemed to fulfill his inner visions throughout years to come.
In 1988, Julio Razquin decided to move to Toronto, Canada. In Toronto, he took layout and character design courses with the superbly talented classical artist Carlos Nunes, who is credited with work on several animated feature films and many other projects. This was the first time and the closest that he'd ever come to receiving a formal education in art.
Through collaboration with Carlos Nunes' production company, working as a conceptual design artist on several projects, Julio continued to polish his skills, absorbing and adopting classical theories as well as more contemporary cartooning and design techniques. For two years, Julio worked with Carlos in the field of ecclesiastical design and restoration .
at St. Helen's Church in TorontoThe instruction, encouragement, and friendships forged during this time were instrumental in Julio finding the creative path he had been seeking.
While working on storyboards for an animated children's science fiction show, he discovered and embraced the technical pen as his main artistic tool. Inspired by the techniques of artists like Gary Simmons, Frank Lohan, and Carl Glassford, he had finally found the medium which would satisfy his creative appetite and serve as a loyal means of translating memories, scenery, and people into images of emotion.
"To me, there are very few mediums that translate immediately a single image into one, all-encompassing mood or feeling. Just as with black and white photography, the technical pen enables me to compose and produce images in a deeper and strikingly bolder fashion that draws the eye into exploration. Only a handful of artists that I know of have been able to do this with other mediums as well as with ink."
Later, after working as a designer of giftware and garden accesories for companies in both the U.S. and Canada, designing and developing several webpages, Julio decided it was time to concentrate on his own artistic goals.
So what is it that makes Julio Razquin's work stand out from the rest?"Detail... There are a great deal of pen and ink artists out there, producing astounding work, and they all know just how exhausting a process it can be, demanding plenty of time and patience. I've got both working for me; I've already been called 'insane' because of the amount of detail I put into my pieces. You never know what you might find if you look at my work under a magnifying glass... Poetry, images within images, and so much more."
Today, Julio is happily married, and now living in New England, where he continues to draw and produce incredibly detailed images that capture the eye and the imagination, his technique evolving with every new piece. Only now, is he finally ready to share his collected memories, mental imagery, and scenery through his artwork with everyone.
Julio is also a singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He has performed at Toronto's hottest clubs for the past seven years, and still continues working on his music.
"Thank you for visiting this site!"
Sincerely,
Julio Razquin uses only the best...
Rapidograph© Pens and Inks
Jo-Art, the Jo-Art logo, and all artwork on this website is intellectual property of the artist and may not be used or reproduced in any manner or form without permission.
© Julio Razquin 2003
