I’m delighted to introduce you to artist Julie Greig this month. Having her as a guest with her beautiful evocative landscapes is especially perfect as she’s based in New Zealand where I was teaching a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been a fan of Julie Greig’s work for years! Have a read of what I said about one of her pastel paintings in one of my monthly roundups.

Don’t know Julie’s work? Here’s a taster!

Before I hand you over to artist Julie Greig, here’s a wee bit about her. 

Julie Greig – Bio

​​Julie Greig is an award-winning, Master Pastelist living in the vast and stunning Māniatoto, Central Otago, New Zealand. She has been painting in pastel for most of her life, developing a light airy touch with detail and scumbling allowing the surface colour to come through. Her subjects are familiar to her, varied, and often revisited. View more on her website.

Now here’s Julie!!

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My earliest memory of drawing is with yellow chalk in hand, on the hallway wallpaper. My dear mother caught me in the act, and I promptly swallowed the chalk which had interesting repercussions. We were living at the base of Mt Ruapehu with bush, forest and rivers nearby. Another memory: An artist friend would visit our house to paint in the spare room which had an open fire, with me lying on the floor alongside, painting with her watercolours. 

I drew a lot as a child, mainly horses, because, like many girls, I really really wanted one! By the time I was eight, and still horse-less, my father bought me Walter T. Foster’s book ‘How to Draw Horses,’ willow charcoal, white Conté chalk, a kneadable eraser, and grey laid paper, plus a big sketchbook. The scene was set. I trawled that book from one end to the other, practising over and over. I wore it out.

Dad brought home more art materials until finally bringing home a set of Rembrandt soft pastels. Looking back, he could have bought watercolours or acrylics, and I could have let those treasures gather dust. A memory: We had a black and white TV; one program allowed a day for me – and no social media. There seemed to be more time in those days.

At Intermediate School, our art teacher was French and inspired the class to try all kinds of mediums. My father drove me to her home after school, once a week, and sitting at her kitchen table, I’d draw cubes, prisms, spheres, etc, learning shading and learning to really see. Dad waited outside in the car – I’d say that’s love in action. I know he would be so proud of where those early lessons and his kind, considered gifts of art materials have taken me.

One evening, my Intermediate School Form Teacher arrived at our home with a set of oil paints, a book on oil painting, brushes, and a wooden palette, apologising that he couldn’t find any Cadmium Red. 

Looking back with gratitude, I’ve had the benefit of so much encouragement and interest from the adults in my life, as well as quality art materials.

I had my first solo exhibition at the Intermediate School, an assortment of the artworks I had created at home and school – oils, drawings, pen and ink, pastel paintings, black and white cut out paper, and some rather thick watercolours.

At High School, I carried on with pastels, again with an excellent art teacher. I became adept at painting dogs and began painting them on commission. I regret not going to art school following high school. The School of Life and necessity for an income was my way forward so my early career began with accountancy work, then banking, while I practised painting in my spare time. I began to paint portraits, seascapes, and some landscapes, but it wasn’t until about 25 years ago that I became entranced by the vista of land, trees, and mountains, by how light and time of day affects everything, by the mystery of low light, by grasses and tussock flowing and gleaming in the wind, and still waters in pools, and by how magical shadows can build a painting.

Since moving to the South Island of New Zealand – firstly in Burkes Pass, Mackenzie Country, now living in rural Māniatoto, Central Otago in a 137-year-old mudbrick homestead – I see inspiration everywhere. Surrounded by the arid hills and mountains, with their deep blue-violet valleys, random schist tors, the vast blue skies or turbulent clouds, the long golden evenings and misty mornings, historic stone, mud-brick, or schist cottages enduring, I am so spoilt for choice that I don’t paint so many horses now! The rustic old homestead has two lounges – one is now my studio with views of the trees, hills, and our flock of Gotland sheep. 

Recording the moments which capture my attention has brought me to learn more about photography and composition. The digital age means we can make images rapidly then edit back to what is best to work from. 

I frequently use the Fibonacci Spiral and/or the Golden Mean when balancing or designing a painting. I believe good composition is essential in any art form, like building a house with a good plan. I don’t like to slavishly copy photographs – when I was younger, finding my way as an artist – I did. Now I go beyond the photograph, attempting to add emotion or the feeling of being there, suggesting details without painting every leaf or branch.

I allude to detail in many areas of my paintings, while the focus areas – where I want the viewer to be drawn in – will be in more detail. 

I sometimes paint outdoors, not often enough, but when I do, I also make studies of the view in case I decide to create a studio painting later. Years on, these images still have merit, especially where a building is included which may eventually crumble or be demolished. Painting history interests me – handmade gates, farm equipment, fences, vehicles etc. The gold mining era was huge in this area and old equipment lies abandoned, rusting. 

I often make a sketch of the planned painting, then a small colour study before deciding the size of the finished piece and what tone of underpainting it might need. Other times I rush in, caught in the grip of the Muse, sometimes she’s patient, sometimes not. I think the paintings where I rush in have a special magic, like a spark to a flame. The more planned paintings go well too, as they iron out any issues along the way. The ebb and flow of creativity. 

For my painting surfaces or support, I prepare archival matboard with pastel primer, buying the large 60 x 40” sheets, priming with white Art Spectrum Colourfix, preparing several sheets at a time so I always have something ready to go. I also have a stock of sheets of various favourite Art Spectrum Colourfix tones – Soft Umber, Elephant, Rose Grey, Fresh Grey and Black. I’ve tried Pastelmat recently, it’s a little smooth for my way of working but I do enjoy how layers look transparent and it doesn’t rip so much pigment off a pastel stick. 

I use fixative as a medium sometimes, to settle and darken areas before adding more layers. I never use fixative when the painting is complete, preferring to lay a cover sheet over the artwork and gently but firmly roll over with a brayer, compressing the pigment into the textured surface. 

My husband builds the frames which we buy as ‘chops’ cut to size, and I finish the framing. We use Tru Vue UV70 Anti-reflective glass. We live a long way from picture framers, so this has become a necessary skill.  

I teach regular soft pastel workshops in Ranfurly, a small rural town nearby, which has the perfect venue in the Māniatoto Arts Centre. I no longer travel to teach as it is costly to me in time and energy, preferring to paint in my studio most days, and sometimes running workshops. 

For many years I illustrated childrens’ books and novel covers. Along the way I designed and created the artwork for two postage stamp editions with First Day covers. Currently I’m working to help complete a long-term project involving 32 stained glass window designs where I also paint details onto the glass, which is fired before the window is assembled. These illustrate the history of Whanganui, a beautiful river city in the North Island of New Zealand.

My painting heroes are Andrew Wyeth, Richard Schmid, and Sir Grahame Sydney. Fortunately, Sir Grahame lives in the area and has welcomed my visits where I can talk painting with him whilst soaking up his collection of outstanding egg tempera or oil paintings. 

I’m on the committee of our local Arts Council, and proudly a Lifetime Member of and Master Pastellist with the Pastel Artists of New Zealand (PANZ). I’m also a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America (PSA) and have a Diploma of Art & Creativity (Honours).

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Beautiful huh?! I love that Julie focuses on painting the landscape around her and many times over! Each iteration shows a different mood, a different season, a different time of day.

We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions so please share them in the comments!!

Until next time,

~ Gail