Biographical Info

The inspiration for my work comes from all things artistic beginning in childhood. My grandmother, Carley Craig, was a fashion designer and lifelong artist working in all media. As I grew up I developed an appreciation of form, color and line. That appreciation deepened into a passion as I was exposed to the art and lifestyle of the Japanese. My five-year stay in Nagasaki, Japan utterly transformed me, compelling me to set aside previous career and life goals. I now pour my energies into creating works that don’t easily fit genre labels, borrowing from both Western and Asian traditions. I use traditional Asian calligraphy brushes and sumi, ink. Watercolor or oil paints are added for touches of color. I work on canvas or watercolor papers, each surface offering different effects.___A cursory glance at one of Julie’s paintings will reveal a simple brushstroke drawing; a second perusal evokes a perception of what has not been drawn, but merely imagined. Herein lies the essence of her achievement. Elegant in its simplicity, subtle in its design, bold in its grace, this art can elicit profound responses. ~ Mary Ruth Curtis