Artist Julie Greig Captures the Extraordinary Beauty and Healing Power of Nature

As director and curator of The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS, an initiative of Manhattan Arts International, I am honored to present this featured article about Julie Greig. As a masterful pastel artist she captures the extraordinary beauty and healing power of nature. This Special Recognition Award has been given to only three artists in in “The Healing Power of ART In Honor of Nature” exhibition.

All rights reserved. Do not reproduce images without the artist’s permission.

In Transition, soft pastel, 13” x 15.25”.

Immediately upon viewing the paintings by Julie Greig one is drawn into the mood of the locale. We become aware of her masterful ability to capture the atmosphere of her subjects with depth and impact us on a visceral healing level. These attributes make her a perfect choice to win a Featured Artist Article Award.

Julie has also received recognition as a Master Pastelist of Pastel Artists of New Zealand (MPANZ) for having achieved excellence in technique and for having won several awards. Julie is one of only four Master Pastelists in New Zealand. Her recent pastel paintings are often signed with MPANZ to indicate this honor.

Furthermore in 2016, Julie was elected a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America (PSA).

Sowburn Walkway, Maniototo, soft pastel on primed watercolor paper, 19″ x 33″.

Julie has an extensive solid background with two decades of experience as an artist and it shows. She has never wavered from her continuous expansion of knowledge and experience “to explore soft pastel technique, rendering fine details, delicate scumbled layers, texture and atmosphere, often experimenting with other media and texture.”

In addition to pastel the artist is also skilled in painting in oil on canvas and panel, oil mono prints, and drawings in charcoal. Eqully important is the fact that no matter what medium she uses, it is important for her to use archival painting materials, “to support longevity of the finished piece.”

Neptune #2, oils on stretched canvas, 24″ x 36″.

The proficient artist paints whatever inspires her creativity which spans a broad range of subjects. She is is well known for her paintings of horses, stockmen and stockwomen. As shown in “Neptune 32” above, she captures the powerful strength and grace of her subject juxtaposed with the distant body of water, all wrapped in beautiful poetic light and encased within a bold closely cropped composition.

When Julie submitted her breathtaking nature-inspired landscape paintings to “The Healing Power of ART In Honor of Nature” exhibition, she wrote, “I am most inspired by light falling on any subject, particularly in early morning or the long shadows of late afternoon. Painting helps us learn to see – finding a way to share our unique vision as artists with the wider world. The subjects I paint are often commonplace; I chose these subjects based on my personal response to share a moment or a pose – to remind us in our busy lives that there is simple beauty to be found all around us when we take the time to pause and really see.”

Opportunity, soft pastel, 19” x 33”

With Whanganui glass artist, Greg Hall, Julie has completed painting 21 of 32 stained glass windows for the “The Whanganui Story”. This is a historical project for the Whanganui Council Chambers illustrating Whanganui’s history.

Julie paints from her studio in the Maniototo, Central Otago, New Zealand.  She also offers lessons in regular soft pastel classes in Ranfurly.

Her original paintings can be found at The Artists Room Gallery of Fine Art, 2 Dowling St, Dunedin and Otautau Gallery, Otautau, both in New Zealand. She has won several awards in exhibitions organized by Pastel Artists of New Zealand.

A small range of Limited Edition prints on paper and canvas can be ordered directly from Julie.

Visit Julie Greig’s website juliegreig.co.nz