Autumn

This is the biggest painting I've done in years! It measures 24x48 inches, or 2x4 feet. This painting was inspired by the pretty leaves I'm seeing on the ground every day when I go for walks. I was inspired with the idea of using the leaves as stencils. I was also in the mood to paint a woman with big, dramatic hair (haven't done that in a while--it was overdue). The color scheme is obviously influenced by fall. Such a pretty and mystical time of year--thought I'd try to capture it in a piece of art.

Kitty

This is my good friend, Michal, holding a kitten. I like how both she and the kitty have green eyes. Interesting fact: this is the third painting I've done of her and it will probably not be the last.

Mon Coeur

This is the very first time I've ever painted a baby! There's a first for everything. A mother's profound love for her children inspired this piece. I titled it Mon Coeur, which is French for My Heart.

As usual, I had a lot of fun experimenting with colors and patterns. With the last few paintings, I've been limiting my color palette. I make a variety of colors using the same basic ones, just mixing them in different ways, which is a new thing for me. I used to use maybe fifteen or more different tubes of paint, but now I stick to around eight or nine. For this piece, I used ultramarine blue, peacock blue, pyrrole red (a color I have a crush on right now), cadmium red light, magenta, raw umber, raw sienna, mars black and titanium white.

Wall Collages

 Lately I've been really into wall collages and wanted to do a couple of my own. I LOVE to collect art. I would collect SO much more if the budget allowed it. Above are several pieces of art that mean something to me. Some are photos my friends took, a few are random pieces by strangers I fell in love with, some are some important or meaningful moments captured and then I made a few. This collage was surprisingly affordable. I got a steal on a lot of these pieces (some of them I snagged from friends and only had to pay the printing fee) and most of these frames were under a buck from a local thrift store.

I love the color scheme--neutral colored art and frames against a lime green wall and above my tomato red couch, which was also a steal. And I got that sculpture to the left of my couch for 90% off at Pier 1 Imports. Not bad, eh? I ADORE bargain hunting. It's one of my specialties.

This collage is hanging in my bedroom. The photos were taken by my uber talented Israeli friend, Michal Barnea. I paid about $8 to make this one. I am also working on a third collage. Can't wait to show you!

First Festival!

Today was a first--I showed my very first festival. It was at Springville City's Heritage Days. It was quite the adventure--a lot of fun and exhausting! I met a lot of nice people (and a few rude ones), I got attacked by bugs and spiders, struggled to keep my art on display (the wind kept knocking everything down!), plus I sold three original paintings and two prints. The festival was a lot of fun: live music, bouncy houses, crafts, Native American singing and dancing, free popcorn and homemade root beer. The gorgeous last-day-of-summer weather was the icing on the cake.

Maybe Someday

When I paint I usually throw up rainbows, so I thought it would be a fun challenge to limit my palette. I like how it turned out. I'll definitely want to try this again sometime. I titled this "Maybe Someday" because the model has a wistful and even a slightly melancholic expression on her face.

So Free

Connect at Urban Arts Gallery

I'm thrilled (and surprised and humbled) to announce that I won 1st place AND curator's choice award at Connect last night!!! I'm giddy as a kiddie. Anyway, for the next month, two of my paintings will be hanging at the Urban Arts Gallery at the Gateway in SLC. More specifically at 137 S. Rio Grande Street. Come and have a looksee.

Ostrich Ride

I've been meaning to do a linocut print for awhile now; it's a medium I've wanted to explore further. Plus I have this thing for ostriches/emus right now and wanted to make something ostrich/emu realted for a wall collage I'm working on. So while sick with the flu, I came up with this. I decided to print it on old book paper. I found a book on literature published in 1950 at a thrift store that I thought would do the trick. I'm pleased with how it turned out. You like it? Buy your copy here: Juliette's etsy shop

Rock Star Encounter

Dreams DO come true, folks! I got to meet one of my very favorite rock stars last night--Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons. He was really nice and humble and he called me sweetie.

[OL]4You Magazine

My photo is in [OL]4You, a Czech magazine! Check it out here. (It's the one on the top left.)

It Started With a Crayon

One of my first attempts at portraiture.

I am often asked: when did you start creating? How did it all begin?

It started with a crayon.

And then things evolved. Crayola markers. Lipstick. The seven color pallet of watercolors. Play-Doh. Popsicle sticks. Charcoal. Pastels. Oils paints. Ink.

I tried new things. Sand drawings. Lite-Brite. Cross-stitch. Chalk on sidewalks. Scrap booking. Collage. Creating my own languages and planets. Making my neighbor's new baby a dress with fabric and duct tape. Magazines collages. Friendship bracelets. Paper plate masks. Cardboard box vending machines. Clay beads. Photography. Whittling. Ceramics. Food art.

I've experimented with surfaces. Coloring books. Nicely shaped rocks. Phone books. Cheap computer printer paper. Bananas. Church programs. School folders. Grocery bags. Restaurant napkins. Sidewalks. Bed sheets. Toilet paper. Sketchbooks. Clothing. Sneakers. People's arms. Walls. Masonite. Canvases.

I had schooling. My dad drawing silly animals for me at church. Art classes galore, including a  fun summer school class (think pinatas, cheese cloth ghosts and toothpick cabins). A painting major in college. I collected and read a whole lotta art books. Subscribed to Artist Magazine. Roamed the isles of the art section at the library. Sat in an overstuffed chair at Barnes and Noble with a tower of art books at my feet. Visited the Louvre, the MoMA, The Met. And then my old bestie Jason, helped me discover acrylics--and there was no turning back.

I've had influences. Street artists. Fashion designers. Bob Ross. Jason Orr. Teachers. Classmates. Charles Dwyer, Gustav Klimt, Vincent Van Gogh, Marc Chaghall, Frida Kahlo and J W Waterhouse. Johnny Depp. Oprah.

I had people who believed in me. Friends. My grandma Pat. The judges who deemed my work worthy of awards in junior high. My mom (forever and always my biggest fan). My brother Matthew. My favorite high school art teacher, Mr. Rees. My favorite professor Catherine Downing.

I've had some failures. Torn up, crumbled and slashed artwork. Lots of eraser marks. Being rejected a few times. The B- in figure drawing. Teachers who hated my work. Lots of tears. The times I wanted to quit.

And some successes. First place in Reflections contests two years in a row. Amazing compliments from strangers (I never get tired of those). Juried art shows. Solo exhibits. Artsy shops. A tattoo parlor. A crepe store. Magazines. Books. A couple of honorable mentions in college. Commissions. Two sweet girls from England who studied my art for a school assignment. A handful of prints sold. Over 60 original paintings sold. The times I decided not to quit.

So how did all this wonderful craziness begin?

It started with a crayon.

Illusion Magazine

My painting "Hope" is in Illusion Magazine! Check it out here: Hope › Illusion

Frog Ride

Always wanted to ride a giant frog. 

Fortune

Got this fortune today.