VALÈ SERIES PART 2 WITH JULIE ORELIEN HERNANDEZ
I am Julie Orelien-Hernandez, a content creator and teacher. I was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti but now reside in the Bronx, NY. I am pretty drawn to the arts, be it painting, drawing, creative writing, or looking at different art museums and galleries. I believe I got this trait from my mother, whom I discovered, was into the arts as a young woman. At seven years old, I remember finding her notebook full of fashion design drawings that she had created, which inspired me to explore these forms of illustrations. Interestingly, she didn’t quite have that art exploration with my sisters and me growing up. I was definitely inspired by the tap-tap paintings and the canvases hung by the streets in Haiti.
“For me, Haitian Valè means regarding Haiti and it’s culture with value.”
As Haitians, we tend to diminish our values and place American values above our own. I cherish certain things in our culture that I cannot find in the U.S. When I lived in Haiti, since everything was available to me, I didn’t necessarily understand its importance. As I moved to the U.S., I understood what it meant to not have some djon djon in my pantry to make some diri djon djon or not eat some lalo or some fresh Ju Korosòl. I not only missed the food but the language.
When I came to the U.S., I was surrounded by people who only spoke English, and it reminded me of how much I missed and appreciated my language. When I find people who speak my language, my heart rejoices, and I communicate in my mother language.
I am a preschool teacher, and art is embedded in the curriculum. I love that I get to explore art with children and experience how they freely express themselves through that medium. It has given me more confidence to just play with paint as I express myself.
“Now that I am pregnant with my son, I want to share those cultural traditions with him: food, language, or art. ”
I enjoy making representational drawings and paintings of people and objects. That’s my forte. When I am stressed or overwhelmed, besides going to God to meditate, art is my other method of relaxation and therapy.
I don’t have a specific artist who has impacted my journey. Still, I remember seeing paintings of life scenes in Haiti, like people going to the maché; machann selling or caring their baskets on their heads, landscapes capturing Haiti’s greenery and mountainous lands. I love the way people are portrayed in paintings as faceless, like a silhouette with their clothes. I have included these attributes in my drawings of people. I also enjoy landscapes and nature paintings. It inspires me to notice the beauty around me, be grateful for living, and apply it to my paintings.
Click below to watch this video where Julie explains why it’s important to her that her son knows more about Haitian Value.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JULIE, FOLLOW HER ON @MINIMAL.JULES