“I paint because I am so moved by what I see in the world around me and I want to express the extraordinary in what I see and feel.  Painting in vibrant color gives me great joy.  I strive to capture spontaneity, to paint the light and color, and to create a work that is fresh and alive.”

Born in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, Julie Hanson is a resident of Sarasota, Florida and Burnsville, North Carolina.  She has also lived in Alaska, Massachusetts, and Kentucky.  She earned her BFA from the Ringling School of Art & Design, then went on to study at length with renowned sculptor Leslie T. Posey (Who’s Who in American Art).  Her figure relief sculpture, “Morning”, won the prestigious Salmagundi Club award from the Pen & Brush in New York City.  After extensive study of the human figure (in sculpture), Julie’s strong interest in color led her to the Cape Cod School of Art.  Her artistic expression has been influenced by the plein air painters’ magnificent use of color.

Julie’s strong background in the study of the human figure both in sculpture and in painting, her knowledge of color and her enthusiasm for these subjects led her to teaching.  She is a well respected teacher with a large following and has taught for many years privately, at Adult and Community Education Center (Sarasota), Art Center Sarasota, Manatee Art Center and workshops. 

Julie is an award-winning artist in many mediums and her work has been exhibited locally, nationally and abroad.  She is also accomplished in a variety of artistic fields, to name a few:  portraiture, murals, illustration and relief sculpture.  She is currently exhibiting at Art Uptown Gallery, Sarasota’s oldest cooperative gallery and at the Grovewood Gallery in Asheville, North Carolina.  Having been juried into the American Juried Art Salon for two years now, her work can also be seen on their website: www.artjury.com.   In addition to numerous solo exhibitions, Julie’s commissioned work is in many private collections.  She is a member of Women Contemporary Artists, Sarasota Portrait Society, Art Center Sarasota, Manatee Art Center, the Venice Art Center and Gulfcoast Plein Air Painters.

Julie accepts commissioned work not just in portraiture but also in a variety of subjects.

Many of Julie’s original oil paintings are now available in high quality limited edition Giclée prints.

               Please call or email for further information.