About the Artist

Julie Swinton Fisher's Journey to Fine Art

Artist's Bio, about Julie Swinton Fisher, Arizona artist, Realism, Bold, Nature, Desert

Julie was always creative, whether she was drawing, sewing, baking or one of the many other past-times that kept her busy. She landed in the legal field shortly after school (in Michigan). The paralegal jobs were a great use for her ability to write, type, organize and be resourceful. However, they were not fulfilling her creative side. A friend in a law firm invited Julie to an oil painting class in a woman's home. Julie loved it.

The next two decades were full of being married and raising two sons. In 1996, the family moved to Arizona. Julie would try to paint when she could. It wasn't until her sons were in college, that Julie began teaching in her home and painting several times a week.  A family situation arose and Julie had a niece in the foster care system who needed love, therapies and a stable home. Julie adopted her. This again side lined her time for painting.

As Julie's daughter got older, Julie began painting up a storm. Soon she had so many paintings that she needed an outlet for them. She began entering competitions in galleries and doing the once a month shows in Chandler, Arizona, where she lived.

At first Julie was painting from places she traveled, landscapes of Michigan, and from nature. Now she paints from the Arizona desert near Roosevelt Lake, where she calls home. Her desire to continue evolving as an artist keep her taking courses, watching other artists, reading books by expert painters and looking at the history of art. Julie's style began to change, and the once very tight renderings were beginning to loosen up and take on a bit of impressionistic style. Julie also began doing plein-air painting which helped her to see the true colors, depth, shadows and light.