PROFILE

Using Hand dyed silks, Julie found a striking way to connect her love of God, painting and scuba diving. The glowing colors and shimmering surface of dyed silk beautifully translate the wonder of being underwater. Julie’s images begin with her husband’s radiant underwater photographs taken on their dive trips from the Caribbean to the Red Sea, and from Hawaii to the South pacific. She then weaves meaningful verses from the Bible into the paintings to express her faith.

Julie begins each piece with a sketch of the design and transfers it to 100% Habotai silk. The painting is created with layers of the highest quality French Dupont dyes, using gutta wax, resist, airbrush and watercolor techniques. The dyes are permanently set by steaming. The finished piece is then stretched and framed.

It all started when a neighbor in the West Indies received a silk dye kit for her birthday and traded it to Julie for watercolor lessons. Watching the dyes flow across the surface of the silk and seeing the richness of the color fascinated Julie and set her latest creative journey.

Silk is the newest medium Julie has been exploring. Her diverse work also includes landscapes and portrait in oil and pastel. She likes the feel of moving paint on a loaded brush and the drag of the pastel on the grain of the paper, then being able to rub the color around with her fingers. Julie received an oil paint set and art lessons for her ninth birthday. She studied a traditional classical approach under Fred Gong, a renowned painter form Washington D.C. Julie went on to receive a visual arts degree magna cum laude from UCSD. She has exhibited widely throughout the United States and has won several prestigious awards.

“May everything I do begin with His inspiration, continue with His guidance and end by bringing Him glory.”