When she’s not hiking the trails of beautiful North Vancouver, artist Julie Fox can often be found in her quiet studio, lost in a world of experimentation in acrylics and mixed media.
Julie began drawing and painting at an early age. On reflection, a turbulent family life likely prompted the young artist’s escape into an idyllic, colourful world that has defined her whimsical style. Since her earliest works, Julie has had a flair for creating harmony through combining colour, form and light.
Initially, Julie dabbled in drawing courses to satisfy her interest in the arts. At 25, she honoured her passion and enrolled in the Fine Arts Program at Langara, followed by the Graphic Design program at Emily Carr University of Arts + Design. After graduating, Julie worked as the sole designer at a small communications company – adding watercolours and illustrations to her already substantive portfolio.
art and life
Julie ventured out on her own in the mid-90s, raising a family and finding time to paint in between the demands of parenthood. Many of her works, mainly watercolours, were donated to worthy community causes or created for private commissions.
As family life began to shift, so too did Julie’s artwork. Having spent decades illustrating in watercolour -- telling other people’s fascinating stories, she’s currently exploring new artistic dimensions, including abstract painting. An artist with an open mind, Julie has learned that realism and abstraction have a lot in common. While the leap from representational illustration to the world of abstract has been extreme, Julie is relishing in the space in between.
Julie’s most recent painting, Bear Necessities, is a good example of her combined styles. Inspired by My Space, Bear Necessities is a figurative (true to life) depiction of the Grizzly incorporated into a partial non-figurative (intuitive, abstract) environment that bridges the two into a unified whole.
Both pieces reflect Julie’s essence and her love of nature. She looks forward to completing a series of paintings that further express her passion for the environment and the importance of preserving it.
As Julie’s work evolves and changes, her sense of whimsy and harmonic use of colour will remain constant.
“When the miracle of life in nature inspires me to give it form and colour, I can only hope that the viewer shares it’s celebration and experiences the inner peace this joyful journey gives the soul.”
~ Yvonne J. Lappas
“The moment in between what you once were, and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place.”
~ Barbara De Angelis
“We do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
~ George Bernard Shaw
Moving between the two styles, Julie taps into new aspects of creativity. She begins with the concept, the subject and composition, and adds texture and colour. Drawing heavily on intuition, she revels in the freedom to explore and she notes that her painting is quite malleable and always shifting until the moment she knows it’s complete.
artist statement
It was watercolour that first captured me. Now it’s the dynamism of acrylic painting. I am playing somewhere in the middle – in the colourful area between figurative and abstract. My work is shifting, as I combine the softness of watercolour with the bold strength of acrylics, working toward a loose impressionist style of painting that leaves much to the imagination of the viewer. My love for nature, my passion for our planet is my focus. A sense of whimsy, and a harmonic use of colour will remain constant as I explore this complex world of nature.
julie fox
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client reflections
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“Julie is a popular, well-established North Vancouver artist. For three years she donated the eye-catching posters for “Librations,” the North Vancouver City Library’s successful fund-raising galas. Julie Fox is dedicated, enthusiastic and creative in approach – a pleasure to work with. We are lucky to have an artist of her considerable ability who is willing to donate her unique talents to the North Shore community.”
Maureen Johnston, Friends of the North Vancouver City Library
“Watching Julie’s art unfold was as magical as the art itself. Julie brought the Queensbury school community together and helped established a positive school culture through a collaborative mural process. Her diligence to share meaning through whimsical designs, fine detail and brilliant colour captivated an audience of all ages. Julie’s mural allowed our students to appreciate learning through exploration and provided a platform for adults to engage students in learning through creativity and play.”
Judy Savage, President CFRE
“Julie has been exceptionally generous in donating her artistic talents to Lions Gate Hospital Foundation. In addition to providing her beautiful designs for our 911 Relay in 2001, for seven years her North Shore inspired Christmas cards have raised more than $50,000 (and counting!) for the Hospital. Although we have added new designs in recent years, the Julie Fox cards continue to be our most popular.”
Rob Smyth, Principal at Eastview Elementary School
