Blood Brothers 

Julie Bell painted *Blood Brothers*, likely in the early 2000s, using the traditional medium of oil on canvas. Consider the surface texture: Bell has used a technique of layering thin glazes, allowing light to penetrate and reflect from beneath. This imparts a luminous quality to the wolves' fur, giving a sense of depth and volume. This is a meticulous, highly controlled process, demanding a lot of labor, and with a cultural significance that stretches back centuries. Such skill and time brings the image to life, even though the subject is a commercially appealing one: a romantic vision of the wild. Think of the tradition of natural history illustration, or even taxidermy. But Bell’s painting is not trying to represent any actual animal, but rather evoke a world of fantasy – an aesthetic realm often seen as separate from the values of either craft or design. The making of this artwork is a reminder that those divisions do not always hold up under scrutiny.