We absorb what’s around us - often without realizing it. Nature, current events, encounters with others, ideas, travel, life - all leave their mark and can confuse and overwhelm. For me, painting is a way to process and make sense of them. Classically trained, I studied and worked realistically with oil and watercolor for two decades, focusing on landscape, still life, and the human figure.


Color was an early fascination and remains particularly important in my work. I like to experiment and find unique combinations and spatial arrangements. My painting has evolved into a nonobjective style which is abstract and intuitive. Usually I begin with random marks or a single color, chosen spontaneously, and react deliberately, seeing what emerges, paying attention to composition and hue. It can be immensely calming.


Built in layers some - partially hidden—the work is intentionally ambiguous. The process helps me make sense of life but the paintings are not meant to represent specific ideas or to persuade; they simply reflect my ongoing exploration. This enables viewers to interpret the work in their own way and hearing what others see in my paintings intrigues me.


Julie Shunick Brown is a contemporary painter working in Dallas. A native of Nevada, she grew up in Arizona and Northern Virginia. Starting very young, she studied with private instructors and at The Corcoran School of Art and sketched in museums in Washington, D.C.


In 1975, she received a B.F.A. with honors from Arizona State University, Julie then continued studying painting and drawing at several schools and with private instructors. She left a long career with Procter & Gamble in 2012 to return to painting full time.


Her work has been represented by galleries in Dallas, Santa Fe, Oklahoma City, and New York and is included in private collections throughout the United States, Canada and Spain. Her studio is located in the Tin District, West Dallas.


https://www.julieshunickbrown.com                @julieshunickbrown