The work of the “Old Masters” has always mesmerized me. I spent hours as a little girl at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, and later at the Louvre in Paris studying the works of Rembrandt, Chardin and Ingres. Living and working in Western Europe allowed me to observe the beauty, movement of light, and the balance of composition that made these masterpieces so compelling. After moving to the U.S. from the Soviet Union, I adjusted to American life as a student, connecting with my newly adopted culture through drawing, painting, and attending museums and galleries in my new home of Denver, Colorado. Eventually, I pursued an MBA and a successful career in marketing management.
However, the pull of creating art was too strong to ignore, and I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a full time professional fine artist. Like the Masters, I believe oil paintings should evoke a feeling of beauty, elegance and the colorful pleasures of life; and my modern sensibility reveals this via color, light and subject matter.
Professional Accomplishments
Julia has exhibited her work at the Oil Painters of America National and Western Regional Juried Shows, The National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society National Juried Show, The American Artists Professional League Grand National Exhibition at Salmagundi Club in New York City, The Swiss Art Expo in Zurich, Switzerland, The Littleton Museum of Fine Art Annual Juried Show, Greenhouse Gallery Salon International Annual Juried Show, Richard Schmid Fine Art Auction, Boulder Art Association’s National Juried Shows, where she received the corporate award of excellence two years in a row, and at the Art Students League of Denver’s Art & Soul Juried Show & Auction. Her work hangs in private collections in the U.S., Canada, Switzerland, Finland, Lithuania and Russia. Julia is an associate member of the Oil Painters of America (OPA) and American Impressionist Society, Elected member and Board Member of American Artists Professional League, and a member of the Boulder Art Association. Julia is represented by Mary Williams Fine Arts in Boulder, Colorado; Heritage Fine Arts in Taos, New Mexico, and the Singulart Gallery, in Paris, France.
Tools and Materials
The kinds of tools an artist uses says a lot about the them and the quality of their work. I use archival professional grade art materials and tools because I believe that great artist materials are instrumental to the longevity and durability of my art, eliminating fading and cracking on the surface of the artwork. And my collectors deserve nothing short of the best quality from my artwork.
Paint - I use professional grade Vasari paints almost exclusively. Vasari uses all natural pigments that they carefully handcraft in small batches according to 19th century methods. This makes the paints very pigmented and extremely durable, as they are made with the finest alkali refined linseed oil. This ensures purity of color and lush consistency. Many paints on the market these days are made with fillers such as chalk or wax and tend to have unnatural pigmentation and peel off from the canvas.
Panels - The panels I paint on are made in small batches by hand and have endured years of extreme testing for strength, durability and exposure. They are safe, rugged and permanent. They won’t warp, peel, blister or lose adhesion. Many canvases and masonite or wood panels tend to warp or sag over time, sometimes resulting in cracks on the surface of the paint. The panels I use have lasted for multiple decades. They are a full 1/2 inch thick, all wood, lightweight and require no bracing. They are primed on both sides with a polymer primer in a traditional light gray tone.
Medium - I use Maroger medium to thin my paints. Flemish Maroger is an all-in-one painting medium. Its versatility and protective finish have been utilized for centuries. Maroger was discovered by Jacques Maroger, painter and former curator of the Louvre in the early 20th Century. Maroger worked to uncover the secret formulas used by Old Masters such as Titian, Rubens, Van Dyck, Velasquez, as well as others. Consisting of black oil and mastic varnish, this medium comes in the form of a soft jelly and is often referred to as liquid glass. The maroger I use is cooked by an artist in New Mexico in small batches by hand.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
American Artists Professional League Grand National Juried Exhibition at Salmagundi Club, New York City, Nov 7. 2022
National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS) 32nd Annual Best Of America National Juried Exhibition, Sept. 16, 2022
Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum Western Spirit Juried Art Show and Sale, March 5, 2022
Mary Williams Fine Arts, November 2021 solo show. Opening November 11, 2021 at 5:00 pm
Littleton Museum of Fine Arts, November 2021 group show. Opening November 11, at 5:00 pm
Loveland Public Library Juried Show, Loveland, Colorado, July - Sept.2021
Swiss Art Expo, Zurich Switzerland, August, 2022, 2021,2020, 2019,2018
Boulder Art Association Member Juried Show, July 2021
D'Art Gallery National Juried Show, January, 2021
AWARDS:
Bold Brush Painting Competition FAV15 award (jury's favorite top 15% of all paintings) for October and November, 2022
Light, Space and Time Gallery, "Nature 2020", Special Recognition Award, 2020
Boulder Art Association Corporate Award for Excellence, 2002, 2003
AFFILIATIONS:
American Artists Professional League, Elected Artist Member, Member of the Board of Directors
Oil Painters of America, associate member
American Impressionist Society, associate member
Boulder Art Association member
GALLERY REPRESENTATION:
Mary Williams Fine Art, Boulder, Colorado
Singulart, Paris, France
Heritage Fine Arts, Taos, New Mexico