Julie Barnes

My work balances the familiar and the strange, evoking a sense of otherworldliness rooted in the fabric of life. It is inspired by experiences, imagination, memory, nature, myths and legends. My paintings often blend muted palettes, layered textures, expressive imagery and are infused with a sense of mystery. I want to create works that are personal yet hopefully universally resonant. I explore themes such as nostalgia, wonderment and awe at the beauty of life, inviting viewers to find stillness and an awareness of the threads that connect us all to everything.. Other recurring themes include transformation, vulnerability, and the unseen energies that shape us are central. I’m drawn to the tension between presence and absence—the moments when identity feels fluid, fragmented, or transcendent. My figures often emerge from a dreamlike space, holding stories that are felt rather than explained.

My practice changed when I gave myself permission to move beyond the literal—to paint not just what I saw, but what I sensed, intuited, or remembered. Letting go of fixed representation opened up a more fluid, expressive language. Allowing the work to emerge from within—unfiltered and unpolished—created new possibilities and space for mystery and transformation. I began painting not just what I saw, but what I felt and remembered. The result felt more honest, more personal, and more alive. I combine imagery from multiple sources and seek a blend of realism and expressionism which feels more aligned with my inner world.

As a mainly self-taught artist, I focus on continually developing my skills and expressing my individuality, primarily using oil and acrylics, which I find magical. I am interested in the materiality of paint and the process of painting itself. I use a combination of techniques, including layering, glazing, and impasto, to create rich and textured surfaces. My paintings often start with thinned-out oil paint. Over time, different areas are built up and made more opaque. I aim to create a sense of light, space and mood in my work. This takes time and focus, and often appears by chance which can make replicating this mood and shimmer quite frustrating! - each painting feels like I am a novice and the process of creation starts afresh. I embrace the unexpected and accidental aspects of the painting process, allowing for surprise and experimentation. Through layering, scraping back, and rebuilding, I hope to mirror the way experience, time, and memory shape who we are. Accidents and imperfection are welcome—they bring soul, mystery, and truth to the work. For me, there has to be inspiration to make a painting. It’s not just a painterly thing. I spend a lot of time considering and feeling into this - subject, imagery and colour is important. The more I am connected to my own inner world , the more able I am to engage with what's outside myself. I always use some reference to reality when I am painting, my imagery could be too unbelievable if drawn straight out of my head. This can be a film, book, photograph, something I have seen. I also react to what happens during the making of a painting, this helps me know when a painting is ‘ finished’. I never have a fixed plan. I want to be surprised. I would get very bored if I followed a set procedure for each painting.

I want my work to stir something subtle and true, a sense of feeling seen, of connection—either to a place, a memory, or an emotion that my work evokes. I hope viewers experience a moment of quiet reflection or wonder, and feel the shared threads of existence we all carry - An opportunity to pause and sense the quiet energy within the piece, and maybe see something of themselves in it. When someone says, “This reminds me of something I can’t quite place,” I know the work has reached them on an intuitive, emotional level. That moment of recognition is one reason why I paint.

I am not sure I have a ‘ typical day’ . My time in the studio is fluid and not at fixed times, I have learned to work when the energy and inspiration is building up and buzzing inside of me. Sessions are a mix of ritual and spontaneity. I begin slowly and I need time to settle - to tidy any chaos! centre, gather materials, references and listen inward. Often I work on multiple canvases, moving between them as imagery and moods emerge. Some days are intuitive bursts of painting, others are quiet, contemplative sessions of looking and refining. Music, movement, and journaling sometimes enter the process. The studio is a place where the outer world dissolves and inner images take form.

I hope to keep growing, both creatively and personally. I want to stay curious, to push boundaries in my work, and to keep exploring new ideas and mediums. I’d love for my work to reach more people, perhaps internationally, and to collaborate with other artists or communities. I want to get better at trusting my intuition and inner knowing. Most of all, I want to stay true to my voice and make work that feels alive - work that moves, questions and celebrates the wonderment and awe of life.