Julie is a contemporary painter living in Skipton, North Yorkshire. She paints the landscape in a way that didn't exist before, soothing the soul with colour. Her paintings are about places that are special to her, her lived experiences. She gives the viewer something different to the obvious view, putting something of herself in there and showing what that place means to her. She is unconcerned with the 'rules' of perspective or choosing realistic colours, her aim is to invite the viewer to see a place differently, lifting the spirits and soothing the soul. Her favourite medium is oils and mixed media such as oil pastels to create texture and a different mark. Oil paint gives her the flexibility she needs when laying down paint; the slow drying time enables her to go back into the painting during the session and smudge, scratch and blend. She says of her work "My happy place is in my studio amongst my tubes of paint and canvases, impatient to get some colour on my brush and start creating something new and exciting. Painting brings out a part of me that wouldn't otherwise be seen; not conforming to what is expected. I love the landscape and I love music and putting the two together create the perfect scenario. I choose the music genre to suit where I am in my process, whether that is just starting out with a brand new canvas or struggling to bring a painting to a close. When things are going well, there is often a bit of singing and a little bop around the studio." As part of her continuous development, she is in the final throes of an Oil Painting Diploma with Artist Martin Kinnear.