Julia Everett
About
I am a painter of vivid abstract seascapes and I am endlessly fascinated by the horizon and the symbolism it evokes. I paint from memory rather than life, recalling a special moment of time as my starting point. I love working with pure colour and my paintings are heavily influenced by the beauty of the natural world, particularly light on water at certain times of day. Together with horizons, my work has a recurring theme of time and an exploration of light and darkness. I did a degree in Fine Art at Brighton University and fell in love with the Sussex Coast. Now I live in Hastings and I find that the sea is a constant source of inspiration and subject matter.
Music is integral to my work, inspiring my artistic practice and I always listen to music to get me in the zone when painting and feel this has a strong influence on the finished work. For me music triggers memories and feelings and each painting is an emotional response to a sensory experience and an attempt to recapture how it felt to be in a particular place at a certain time. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of dreamy folk music like Johnny Flynn, Martha Tilston, Nick Drake and Sandy Denny. I think this adds an ethereal quality to my minimal seascape paintings and I often get lost in the music and don’t realise where the time goes. I always title my paintings from songs, with lyrics often jumping out at me while I'm painting that seem to fit the artwork perfectly. I feel that a snippet of a song lyric as a title gives the painting extra depth.
Discover artwork by
Julia Everett
We've carefully curated a selection of works from each artist that showcases their skill and distinctive voice. Explore their creations and discover the inspiration behind each piece.
Commission or contact
Julia Everett
Lots of artists are now part of The Art Post collective. We will try to find an artist who is best suited for your project or commission. If you know who you would like to commission, feel free to specify the artists' name in the form.
3 questions on inspiration with
Julia Everett
We're asking artists to choose one notable person, place and object that has inspired them in their journey so far. We're mapping inspiration at a scale never attempted before
Person
Can I have two and say my parents? They always inspired me to follow my dream. I loved drawing and painting as a child and always wanted to be an artist when I grew up. Looking back on my school reports my teachers reinforced this by saying that art was all I was interested in. My parents had lots of art books that I used to look at as a child and I was fascinated by the Impressionists and Pre Raphaelites. I am actually distantly related to John Everett Millais. My Mum had a large Turner sunset seascape print that fired my imagination and looking back it must have been a great influence on me. Even as a child I knew I wanted to go to art school. Growing up in the land locked Midlands I always wanted to be near the sea so I chose to go to college in Brighton to do my BA in Fine Art. I never could have done this without their encouragement and support.
Place
Hastings is a wonderful seaside town full of artists, writers and musicians and has the most amazing creative vibe. There's always something quirky and interesting going on from the Green Man Festival and Pirate Day to the Coastal Currents Art Event which showcases artists studios as well as staging exhibitions throughout the town open to all. So for me the inspiration and encouragement I find from living in Hastings has been the best thing to happen to my painting in years!
Object
A sponge! I paint with oil on canvas and often use the paint straight from the tube and mix it on the canvas with my fingers to get a blurry look. With my calm seascapes I like to blend the paint with a sponge to achieve a gradual ombre effect. I don’t draw or sketch before hand, I start work straight on to the canvas as I like to experiment with colour and paint to see what happens. With my more complex sunsets, I tend to layer the paint, starting with a first layer of neon acrylic which can shine though to give light to the picture. Then when that’s dry I build up the oil paint on top to give contrast and texture and blend it with a sponge to get the finished effect I want.
Find new up and coming artists with our art postcard subscription
We’re proud to collaborate with some of the world’s most exciting contemporary artists, bringing their work to new audiences. We’re passionate about helping them tell their stories authentically, and share their practice in creative ways.
