Julia Cassels

Although specialising in watercolour, Julia will often introduce inks, graphite or charcoal to gain a natural fluidity. More recently she has started using acrylics which successfully add a greater substance to her easy impressionistic approach. Her work reflects a true intimate understanding of her subjects, as her distinctive style captures their very essence with remarkable spontaneity.

Having spent many years living and working in Zambia then Tanzania, she only returned to England 10 years ago. Julia now paints from her studio in Hampshire, from where she runs art courses and workshops.

She exhibits widely, with her work found in many collections worldwide,and her work has regularly been short-listed for the David Shepherd Wildlife of the Year Exhibition. 

At the time of this exhibition, Julia will be leading a painting trip for Art Safari Ltd. to the Luangwa Valley National Park in Zambia.

“I have always drawn, doodled and sketched since I was small, but it was the magnificent wildlife of Africa that truly inspired me. My studio was a simple easel beneath the shade of a winter thorn tree, on the banks of the Luangwa River in Zambia. Game wandered across the sandbank below while hippos wallowed in the pools. It was both an honour and a luxury to have such a wild, ever-changing living canvas in front of me. I just love making that first fluid line of a sketch as I strive to capture the poise, spirit and movement of that glimpsed moment.”