Julene's background comes from commercial advertising and ad design/production with various magazines and newspapers so she has always been able to make images catch the eye. She has an amazing ability to be able to capture the way sunlight hits flowers making them glow against their darker backgrounds.  

In 2004 she achieved signature status from the Pastel Society of America, of New York as well as being a member of the Ozark Pastel Society, Degas Pastel Society of New Orleans and the Artists of Northwest Arkansas. 

Have you done any formal training?   No, I am self taught.

Is pastel the only medium you paint in?   Yes

       Trumpets Ole, pastel 32" x 22" 2004

You use very vibrant color in your work.. have you always been attracted to color?   I get sucked into paintings because of color, and with pastel, there isn't another medium, in my opinion, that you can get such a richness, translucence and depth of color.

You paint flowers, still life & pets. What is your favorite subject?   The flowers, even though I love doing animals as well.

 

Over the years how has your work evolved in terms of subject matter or technique?   I stopped doing the under painting, as with my blended style, I was covering it all up anyway, and I'm much more cognizant of the lighting, and composition, I believe.

How do you achieve these amazing qualities?   For the sharper edges, I use a lot of pastel pencils, as for the color, making sure I know where I'm going, value wise, and color wise, laying down the first layers.

What pastel and paper brands do you prefer?   I use a variety of pastels, but my work horses are NuPastels, pastel pencils, and my Unisons and Schminckes, as far as paper, I use Wallis Pastel Sand paper exclusively, I just love it because it accepts many layers of color, and will take a lot of punishment.

What would be your top tips for someone wanting to create strong bright work?   I believe the fewer layers of color used, and not making "muddy" color, which is the result of putting too light of color on top of a dark color, like black. Also having a plan on what color you want the final result to look like is important for strong, vibrant color. 

     Spotted Wonders , pastel 23 " x 15 " 2003 SOLD
You received signature status from the Pastel Society of America, of New York, New York in 2004.   This is a very big complement.  Has this had an effect on the way you feel about yourself as an artist?   It is quite an achievement, and a real moral booster to your self worth as an artist. I love being able to put "PSA" behind my signature, it has really made me feel like I am an accomplished painter.

What advice would you give to a young artist who is just beginning an art career?   Never give up, The saying, "the harder you work, the luckier you get" is so true. Another thing that worked for me to help my art career is to treat this as a business. I set up accounting books for my art on my computer, that prints out reports and keeps track of all my art expenses and income. I have a separate checking account for my art and I try and set regular hours to paint, and not get distracted while I paint. Keep entering art competitions, it's a good monitor on how your art stacks up against others, and to get yourself known in your local area, join art clubs, meet other artists, and study a successful artist's paintings, what makes that art special? And paint, paint, paint to develop your own style.

Birds of a Feather, pastel 22" x 32" 2004       

Any last thought or comment you would like to make to beginner artists who may be finding it difficult to either find the time or the topic to paint?   Set aside a scheduled time if you can to paint, and pick a subject you love, and paint in a series, I know doing the flowers have never seemed redundant yet, but I've learned so much about painting doing the same subject.

You can see more of Julene's work at her personal web page on artspan.com.

She is also representation in North America by:

West Bay Fine Art

PO Box 1059

Missouri City, Texas 77459-1059

(281) 261-0656

www.westbayfineart.com