Julia Timewell was born a Rhodesian but grew up in South Africa. She comes from a family of successful artists and chose to train as a ballet dancer. She attended the School for Art Ballet and Music in Johannesburg.
At the young age of 15, Julia was “discovered” by one of the worlds most important fashion agents who quickly made her a successful international fashion model. For a time she was a member of the UK dance group ‘Hot Gossip’ and until becoming a mother in her mid thirties, she travelled the world as a top photographic, commercial and catwalk model.
Over the last fifteen years Julia has channelled her artistic talents into painting. Though she has had no formal training she was strongly influenced by always being surrounded by working artists. Being an avid fan of her great-aunt who taught art for many years and with whom she lived for a time, Julia watched and absorbed all she could. She has attended art classes at the Roehampton School of Art and Putney School of Art.
Her work is inspired by her passion for the wildness and beauty of Africa. Her paintings express movement and colour to create the atmosphere of Africa.
She works mainly in acrylics and oils but also uses pastels. Julia builds up colour with washes and uses sponges and rags to ‘off-paint’ and gradually builds up pigment and texture. Acrylics particularly suit her African themes as they are so versatile.
Julia captures light, camouflage, movement, colour, space and atmosphere in her paintings. They are a documentation of how wild animals should be in their natural surroundings. Her objective in her African paintings is to depict the extraordinary lives of both the wonderful people and animals who inhabit the continent.
She has travelled extensively and has lived and worked in the United States and Australia where she has been awarded a number of commissions by large corporations and private collectors.