Julia Cassels

It takes a profound knowledge of African wildlife to capture the fluidity of movement that Julia achieves in her work. A decade spent living in the bush in Zambia and subsequently Tanzania, has given her a deep and sympathetic understanding of her subject and imbues her paintings with an intensity that can only exist as a result of such prolonged experience.

“It’s all about the light…I love how the play of light can reveal so many colours on the skin of an elephant or reveal the iridescent feathers of a bird. How it effects tone & contrast, and how it casts an abstract shape of shadow ”

“I love to sketch. The fluidity and simplicity of line can say so much. Back in the studio, I always prefer to work from my sketches rather than a photo. Even if the sketch is only a tangle of lines, I have caught the essence that I want to translate into a painting. And most importantly I was there….working from my sketches takes me back to that moment.”

Julia has written art books; runs art courses and workshops from her studio, and works as a specialist art tutor on trips to both Zambia and Europe.