Julia is the Bird In France
The artist and her inspirations
Hi I'm Julia and I became a 'Bird In France' when I decided to move from the Fens of East England to the heart of Brittany in France.
After a career spanning 25 years teaching 'horse human harmony' and classical riding with my beautiful Spanish Andalusian horses in the English countryside, moving to the nature and beauty of central Brittany have led me back to my other love, and an earlier dream of becoming an artist.
I'm passionate about the environment, preserving wildlife and wild places and when I moved to my little corner of magical Côtes-d'Armor, I fell in love with the glorious local slate used for roofs here and old pieces of oak and chestnut wood that I salvaged from old outbuildings. I love using these natural materials and vintage and recycled items in my work. The colours and textures in French oak and old Breton roof slates, and the rounded curves of coastal stones have become unique canvases that seem to perfectly showcase my work.
I am an animal lover through and through and when I'm not in my studio painting you can usually find me outside wearing my trusty wellington boots trailing mud and hay back into the house! My beloved animals, a Spanish stallion named 'Bizarro' and my rescue dog, Bob, get me outside in to nature every day and inspire me to focus on capturing the vibrant colours, energy and emotions of all nature's glorious plants & creatures.
I love creating pet portraits. The challenge of trying to capture the wonderful, individual personality of each animal from just a few photographs keeps me on my toes and the adrenaline running, hoping I will capture the essence of a treasured animal family member that the owner will love.
My commissioned animal and bird portraits are becoming increasingly popular and are treasured by their recipients. This year I have painted my first tortoise and giant rabbit! I wonder what will be next...