JulieOldfield.com - Biography

My two passions are travelling and painting. I grew up on a farm which inspired me to paint wide open spaces.

Now living on the Dorset Jurassic coast, I enjoy the translucent nature of the sea and sky and the play of light across the horizon. My paintings reveal these influences and are empty of human intervention.

I like to capture the atmosphere of changing weather conditions, using an unusual mix media technique. Layering various media gives a textural three dimensional quality, highlighted in particular by iridescent paint. I often incorparate materials such as sand and sea water from locations that inspire my work, giving a unique character to each piece. I somtimes submerge my paintings in the sea and rub sand into the texture to give a shimmering effect of colour, light and shade.

I have painted in many locations around the world, for example I travelled along 37 degrees latitude for one year, from Capetown to Rio de Janeiro via Australia, NZ and the South Pacific islands. My most recent trip to the Middle East involved developing desertscapes. However, I am always drawn back here to the Jurassic coast line.

I am a painter and Yoga Teacher I have always drawn for a living, after art college I was an interior designer for commercial buildings working in Sydney, London and LA.

I returned to my love of painting, owned a gallery, selling my own work along side invited artists. I now travel and paint, selling work in various galleries around the world and from my home in Lyme Regis. 2 miles down the road here in Lyme Regis, my brother has a fish restaurant, the Harbour Inn, on the beach where I exhibit and sell my paintings.

Most of my work is done at my home and the whole house turns into a studio. Luckily my dog and I are the only ones living here and I can spread my canvases over the three acre garden.

Julie at work preparing her canvases.

Julie Odlfield at work on her canvases