Julie Cross
Biography
Based in Yorkshire, Julie holds a PhD and an MA in History of Art from York University. She studied at Newlyn School of Art and art colleges in Leeds. She volunteers at Harewood House, where she shares her knowledge of its Renaissance art collection and watercolours by artists including J. M. W. Turner and Thomas Girtin.
She exhibits widely, including with the Society of Women Artists, the ING Discerning Eye at the Mall Galleries and New Light Art. Her awards include the Dry Red Press Award at the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours, the Schmincke Award at the Pastel Society Annual Exhibition and the Harold Riley Sketchbook Prize.
Artist Statement
Julie Cross’s work almost always features the human form. Her fascination with people stems from the universal connectivity of being human, allowing familiar subject matter to suggest different, sometimes contradictory ideas. Bright, fluorescent palettes can disguise concerns relating to current affairs, personal experience, art history or her desire to tell stories, informed by her doctorate in Children’s Literature.
Her long-standing practice of life drawing, including both figures and faces, is central to her work. Ideas often emerge from the poses of models or from observing interactions in everyday life and public spaces. She is particularly interested in gesture and body language, which, like paintings themselves, can communicate profoundly without words.
Her figurative paintings combine realistic form with invented colour, using bold design choices and jewel-like, transparent optical textures alongside areas of flat, opaque paint.