Since having my own art studio i have worked with various galleries, interior designers, property developers and private clients. Allowing me to grow and develop a strong decorative style with a quirky twist.

Producing intricate pieces; either mixed media canvases or i create collagraphs, which are a combination of making a textured plate and intaglio printmaking skills together with mixed media; layering and building inks, acrylics, watercolours, oils, pencil crayons, gold and silver leaf. I tailor the materials i use depending on the piece i am working on, layering up used food packaging, sweet wrappers, chocolate papers, used teabags and teabag strings and much more, a great way to reuse all of these materials. This creates unusual surface textures, a connection with the subject matter and a strong design.

From an early age i have been interested in printmaking, my dad made me my first A4 etching press…..and that was it, i became completely obsessed, that was the start of my journey……

During my time at college, i was always in the print and sculpture rooms, that was where my main interests lie. I literally had to be thrown out in the evening and told to go home! The textural, tactile element that is present in my work is extremely important to me.

I draw on inspirations from my childhood; books that i was reading, visual mediums, a strong imagination, periods in art and history, different cultures, nature’s riches and a love of birds. However, i have always had a particular love for Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’, which features heavily in my work. Also, a love for nursery rhymes, fairytales and folklore, that magical and mystical story that never goes away….

Julie Smith BA (hons)