I'm Julia Weston, a mixed-media artist, creativity coach and teacher. Recently I moved to Clevedon, in North Somerset with my partner Pedro and aged cat, Vasco. And so far it's been the very best of moves!
Shedstudio52 is named after the shed in the back garden of my previous home in London where I spent my days happily creating and where I really began to invest more of myself and my time into art making. Here in Clevedon, I'm temporarily working out of a bedstudio space until I can build a new garden studio.
I'm both a printmaker and a painter - working on cradled panels and on paper in a wide range of mediums including acrylics, inks, collage and mono-printing from anything I can find to hand.
I take inspiration from a growing consciousness of what it is about life that lights me up - be it worn surfaces or repeated patterns or local beach weeds - and from frequent visits to Portugal and I tend to become obsessed with an idea, which I then explore at length.
Currently I'm entranced by frequent walks around the coast here, particularly Poets' Walk - different times of day and changes in the tides are drawing my attention and I'm beginning to explore how to use this rich visual stimuli in my artworks.
Working in sketchbooks is a fundamental part of my practice and it's how I often start my sessions and find my flow as well as allowing more freedom and explorations into my art. This summer I'm beginning a collaborative project with another artist who also lives by the coast, albeit the far East coast of England and I'll be sharing insights into this project on social media as we get into it.
I'm also constantly learning by taking courses led by practicing artists whom I admire. Nicholas Wilton's CVP 12 week intensive programme, which I took in Spring 2021 and again in 2022, was one such course which has really deepened my painting practice and my understanding of so many aspects of creating.
I'm an elected member of ArtCan, an artists led non -profit arts organisation and a member of Global Artelier 21, a collective of 9 artists who met during CVP in 2021.
https://www.artcan.org.uk/about-us/
https://www.globalartelier21gallery.com
Additionally, I've worked in education for over 25 years and adult education for about 20 years including running teacher training sessions in art for groups of up to 50 teachers.
And it's these combined skills - in art and teaching - that I will be bringing to in-person classes in Clevedon starting in Autumn '24 as well as my passion for sharing what I love most in life - creating art and all that that involves.