If you have wandered the halls of The Cotton Factory as of late, you may have already discovered the fantastical world of Humanimals by creator extraordinaire, Julie Fazooli Marquis.
On her website, Fazooli describes herself as, “Part-Peter Pan and pop surrealist. A multi-dimensional creative who’s primarily fuelled by tacos, and continually encourages collaboration over competition.”
What influences her? “I am often influenced by tattoo artists, pop culture, street art, local chefs, comedians, cultural paradigms, graphic design, and typography from around the world.” says Fazooli
“I obsessively hunt for new influences on a regular basis I like to make people laugh and I like to play with my food. I include a lot of ridiculous puns when I present my work, as I really enjoy creating levity in a world that is so often full of negative influences in order to keep building on ideas or create fresh new designs.”
Fazooli works mostly in graphite and digital painting, using photographed textures instead of paint as her preferred medium. Fazooli says, “The tactile quality of the graphite to paper still lights up parts of my brain far more than digital drawing ever could.”
HUMANIMALS
THE DAVE’S I KNOW | Graphite, Digital Painting 8” x 10” | “Humanimals” Series, 2019 Framed & Signed Limited Edition Print $60
This is one of the Daves I know. He plays in a couple of bands and only knows how to DJ off a laptop, but he has a wicked track selection. He dabbles in graphic design and fancies himself a pastry chef, but he’s never taken any classes. He used to skateboard a lot but doesn’t much anymore because his knees are killing him as he ages. He can’t sit still, and his last trip was to Thailand, where he spent a month living on a beach with a girl, whose name escapes him once in a while, hopped up on hallucinogens and eating green curried shrimp.
Dave is a really great guy, despite his inconsistent approach to life and his inability to hang onto a full-time job or career for more than a few months. Everyone he meets loves him and he’s the life of the party, he’s one of my best dudes and always has my back.
CHARLOTTE | Graphite, Digital Painting 8” x 10” | “Humanimals” Series, 2019 Framed & Signed Limited Edition Print $60
Charlotte – who prefers to be called ‘Charlie’ – is that really super chill advertising/marketing chick at the office who always sends you the best cat memes. Her desk is full of really quirky and interesting succulent planters and she uses silly post-its to leave positive affirmational messages in the staff kitchen. She’s seen Arcade Fire live 14 times and spent a year abroad in Spain working for a major cannabis brand a few years ago.
Charlie’s favourite way to spend a day off is to hit the local beach with a gin and tonic in a sippy cup or wander downtown streets during open pedestrian markets – possibly taking in a live band after tapas in a local hole-in-the-wall eatery. Everyone loves her, and she’s always got a big hug for you, even if you just met.
TRENDY WENDY | Graphite, Digital Painting 8” x 10” | “Humanimals” Series, 2019
Trendy Wendy is one of the city’s hottest influencers. She loves Middle Eastern cuisine, drinks flat whites after yoga every morning at the local independent coffee shop while she updates her social media. She can’t go a day without popping into a local shop to pick up something cute to post on Instagram. Her guilty pleasure is reading celebrity mags at the check-out, but she would never be caught dead buying one.
I don’t think she’s every stepped out of the house with a hair out of place, a smudge on her shoe, or a scuff on her perfectly coordinated bag. But today, since it’s windy out, I think she’s wishing she opted for a slicked back high pony.
VIVICA, THE VA VA VAMP, | Graphite, Digital Painting 8” x 10” | “Humanimals” Series, 2019 Framed & Signed Limited Edition Print $60
Vivica is a highly successful PR mogul by day and a total vamp by night. Since she has a tendency to rack up 100+ hours a week at the office or travelling for her clients, she plays hard when she’s off the clock. She does not take shit, loathes small talk, does not require anyone’s validation, and because of this she is feared by weak mean and the centre of jealousy for vapid women. She walks with a powerful stride and believes feminism is a self-imposed and limiting construct we should eradicate entirely – the so-called glass ceiling and other barriers have never existed to her. She likes her steaks rare and her whiskey neat.
Fuck what you heard – she is a force of nature, spread out and risen above the bullshit this world constantly spews at her. Her mantra: Be bigger. Be bolder. Be a badass. No one owes you, just take what you want in this life.
ZOE, THE MISFIT, | Graphite, Digital Painting 8” x 10” | “Humanimals” Series, 2019
Zoe doesn’t give a shit about much other than her bike – any chance she gets, she’s out for a mad rip. Her half-cab is TIGHT and shady alligator pits don’t make her sweat like they do for the rest of the dudes she hangs with. She’s always been the lone female surrounded by guys that never take her seriously, until she holeshots past’em straight outta the gate. She almost survives on pizza alone, but she can be known to devour an entire rotisserie chicken with her bare hands in less than 15 minutes. She drinks tall PBRs on the grass in the park on sunny days out of paper bags and chain smokes cheap butts when she doddles tags with half-cashed Sharpies she tiefed from the shop she works at in her black books.
Zoe might never want to date you, but that’s ok, because you’ll never be able to handle her. You’ll always wonder where she is and what she’s up to and why she isn’t texting you back. She’s too wild, too free, and too emotionally volatile to be tied down to anything or anyone for too long. She keeps her head held high and her middle finger even higher.
When asked about her art Foozli says, “I never expected to make art for a living – I skipped going to college for it after high school thinking it wasn’t a sustainable idea. Boy was I wrong!” says Fazooli, “Hard work and experimentation have led me to incorporate these skills into my freelance graphic business and helped elevate and hone my proficiency, and my little business has exponentially grown because of it.”
“A lot of people ask me how much longer I’ll be doing this, art takes up a lot of time and space – it’s a lot of late nights, missing out on fun stuff with friends, and many many instances of frustration along the way. But the satisfaction of finishing a piece and the joy I receive from watching people’s reactions to my works, makes me want to do this forever.”
To learn more about Julie ‘Fazooli’s work, visit her website https://www.juliefazooli.com
Thanks for reading, we hope you will visit Fazooli’s work at The Cotton Factory when the world gets back to normal.