Wild and Ancient Orkney

Wherever she goes, Julia has to do a drawing, however small, to remember the place she has been. Julia finds that the slower process of drawing impresses things into her mind in a way that a photograph does not.

There are two types of travel Julia enjoys. In countries like Italy, it is what man has created which is rewarding, but what she really visually drawn to terms of her work is the north.  In places such as Iceland and Orkney, one gets a sense that the landscape and power of nature humbles man. Julia has been to Iceland twice, the second time travelling by bus with just a backpack and tent, doing sketchbook notes and drawings, which formed the basis for imaginative paintings of this often sureal land.

In 2015, Julia was given the ACE TravelArt award by the ACE Foundation to travel to Orkney and produce work for exhibitions in London and Cambridge with the theme of Wild and Ancient Orkney.  The force of the wind and sea was domiant, making the use of an easel vertually impossible, so Julia produced detailed drawings with notes in a sketchbook/diary. What fascinated Julia, apart from the coastal features, was the interplay between the monumental standing stones cairns and settlements within the predominatly treeless landscape.