Hello, and I'm glad you're here. My passion is art. I help people discover the joy of a rich creative life, starting now. Whether you're a fellow creator, a collector or new to the world of art, welcome to my wonderful world!
Eagle Nests and Osprey Dreams. And September's "Art Backstage" page from my art journal
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Greetings of the day! Soon I'll be heading to the upper McKenzie River to paint and draw with a friend and colleague for a few days. It will be a time for much introspection. I haven't been back since the Holiday Farm Fire in 2020, except to drive through as fast as I could. Too heartbreaking. I lived on the McKenzie for over 20 years, and the fire blasted so much of the corridor. Homes, community buildings, the library in Blue River, beautiful old trees, Osprey nests, ferns, eagle nests, - gone in a raging flash. But now the river corridor is recovering some, and it doesn't hurt quite so much to see. There are whole new landscapes and landforms that have emerged. I'm feeling the need to record something of it in paint and pen. This month from my artist sketchbook journal: Click the title to download for your collection: Beach At Fogarty Creek_April 2025_300.jpg Heading to the beach for drawing or painting is more than just my work. True confessions, it's my bliss. Especially on those special sun-kissed, low-wind days on the Oregon coast where I can sit in the sand, or plant my easel and paint for hours. It's so healing.
In the spring, I found a new (to me) beach that I hadn't explored yet, with interesting land and sea features, delicious soft sand, great waves action and people enjoying a beautiful day at the ocean.
It's a lovely thing, but I encounter very few interruptions when there are lots of folks around, even though they're perfectly aware I'm there and painting. I'm aware and appreciative of their respect for my working space. Dogs approach because, well, they're dogs, but are almost always called back before I can even say hello or before they get rambunctious and step in the paints. Once in a while kids will approach with questions, then greater horizons call them to the shoreline or the rocks or kites. This was such a day. I'm so grateful for these days. This little work was a very fast 2-minute pen sketch. It will likely show up in a larger oil painting someday. I added some gouache color later so I could remember how it looked. I wanted the dynamics and energy of the family that had been in front of me all day, and suddenly they were leaving, so I had to hurry. Warmly, Julia Email: julia@juliaoreilly.com Know someone who might enjoy this newsletter and Art Backstage? Forward this email, or send them this link: https://juliaoreillyart.kit.com/artbackstage And thanks for helping me spread the word! |
Julia O'Reilly Art
Hello, and I'm glad you're here. My passion is art. I help people discover the joy of a rich creative life, starting now. Whether you're a fellow creator, a collector or new to the world of art, welcome to my wonderful world!
Greetings from the last lingering days of summer, at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere. Working Steadily My time in the studio is more often about a steady rhythm of work than spectacular achievement. That's how my summer has gone, for sure. I have a dozen paintings in the works and more events on the horizon, though my focus has been on maintaining calm forward momentum. Works in progress I'm still excited to work with material I gathered from my painting adventure to the...
New Paintings In progress! Some days all you do is push paint around. There are days in the studio when it feels like nothing is happening. A brushstroke gets painted over. A color is adjusted by the smallest degree. Hours pass, and the painting doesn't seem much different than when I started. But I've learned that this is part of the work. Not every session brings a breakthrough. Making a painting rarely comes with a roadmap. Most days, I simply show up, pay attention, and trust that the...
Art is so much more than just a picture. With many disturbing challenges in our world right now, it's a relief to come back to art-making. I let it wrap around me. Foremost is the calm that comes from sinking into the act of painting. It empties my mind of everything else. A mental and emotional mini-vacation. Looking at someone else's art works too. I get to experience wonder and awe, maybe joy, maybe shock, maybe transformation. Not all art has to soothe and beautify. Sometimes art is...