Love of the outdoors

Julia grew up in Kentucky, over looking the Ohio River across from Cincinnati. She started art classes early at Baker-Hunt Academy and went on to the Rhode Island School of Design. Julia furthered her studies at the University of Cincinnati majoring in Industrial Design.

Interrupting her schooling, Julia married and moved to Colorado. Her love of the West grew with her sojourn in the mountains and ghost towns around Colorado Springs. Eventually settling in the SF Bay area she continued her art studies and graduated with honors from San Jose State University with a BA in Design/Illustration. There she studied watercolor with John O'Beck and classical oil painting technique with Raymond Brose.

Julia had a full career in retail store design and as an art director for packaging and sales promotion in San Francisco, allowing her to travel throughout Europe and Asia. Now devoting herself to painting full time, she regularly is invited to participate in the some of the most prestigous plein air events and shows in California, Colorado and Arizona.

Julia works in plein air using oils to catch the quickly changing light and shadows of the Bay Area hills where she lives. She paints the landscapes of Northern California and the rural country side of the central coast, the colors and patterns are a her source of inspiration.