Julia Sorrell
Biography
Julia Sorrell has drawn, painted and created textiles throughout her life, coming from a family of artists. She studied at Goldsmith’s College of Art and the Royal Academy Schools, and has worked as an artist since then, beginning as a portrait painter. Her career has included exhibiting widely, teaching, workshops and artist residencies. She has taught drawing and painting at colleges, schools and adult education programmes, and has led workshops throughout the UK. Her exhibitions include the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Royal Watercolour Society, New English Art Club, Royal Society of British Artists and Royal Society of Portrait Painters, as well as solo exhibitions and curated exhibitions. Her work is held in collections including the National Portrait Gallery, Chelmsford Museum & Art Gallery, New Hall Art Collection and Clare Hall College, Cambridge. Her awards include the Imperial Tobacco Portrait Award and ACE Foundation TravelArt Award.
Artist Statement
Drawing and painting have been a long, ongoing journey of exploration. I have not, and never will, arrive at a stage where I feel resolved, as how can one be if one is forever searching, looking, thinking and feeling? Each painting is an individual with its own personality, but drawing remains the underlying criterion of my work. I am particularly interested in the natural world, within which there is the greatest variety of abstract shapes.
I want the viewer to look again at nature, to see the variety of form and the sheer beauty of the world of which we are very much a part, and which we are in danger of destroying. My working method is flexible, using and combining media to create the result I desire, including watercolour, pastel, oil pastel, pen and ink and ink washes. I may work from direct observation, my imagination or sketchbooks, but never from photographs, as photography does not connect to my individual personal journey. As drawing is fundamental to my work, I prefer to remain in control of whatever media I use rather than allowing effects to take their own direction.