May Artist Spotlight
Meet Julia Greenway
Julia Greenway (she/her) lives in Needham, MA. As well as being an artist, she works in the Greenhouse at Volante Farms and is a certified meditation teacher.
One of my first memories (age 4) is practicing my number “8”s in crayons on the newly painted wall of my room, right before we were supposed to move out of the apartment. Though a huge supporter of my work, my mother was not best pleased. As a family, we traveled a lot. My father was a foreign correspondent in Vietnam and then Israel. We lived in Hong Kong twice and I used to go with my mother to her friend Rosamund Brown’s house and paint. They are both artists.
I never really stopped. All the way through school Art was my favorite subject. When I got to college, I majored in languages as it was thought that an art degree wouldn’t pay the bills but I took art classes for myself and later went to Mass College of Art (now Mass college of Art and Design) for my master’s degree in painting.
My artwork, like the number 8, follows no straight path. As an art student I mostly painted in oils and then moved to watercolors largely due to the space and clean-up time needed while raising three children, mostly on my own. I’d had prior training in watercolors with an illustration studio that produced work for Dorling Kindersley Books. Very detailed work – mostly animals and buildings. By comparison my oils tended towards expressionist.
One of the things I paint is Pet Portraits and I use that detailed style. I use multiple photographs in order to capture the essential personality of each creature. That is my goal.
I primarily work from nature – which is an endlessly fascinating inspiration for me. I love the capricious medium of watercolor. While my style is based on observable reality, reflecting how I feel about the subject and its composition and colors…etc…, the paint is speaking more for itself. I feel more like an accomplice rather than being in control.
It’s important to retain a childlike sense of wonder. I find painting to be an extension of self and paradoxically an expression of creative consciousness as a whole. When I am working, I am thoroughly immersed and present. The process quiets the chatty parts of my brain. Even when it is frustrating or a complete failure, I will have learned something.
In August I have a solo show scheduled at North Haven, ME. I will, therefore, be quite busy painting and cutting mats for the frames. I also show small pieces at Volante Farms. If you happen by, come say hello!
