About Julie Wade
Julie Wade is an artist living in Richmond, Virginia. She graduated with a BA in French from Hollins University, where she also pursued studio art classes as often as her schedule permitted. She studied over a year and a half in Paris at Hollins and the Sorbonne, where art history courses were often taught outside the classrooms at the Louvre and the former Musee du Jeu de Paume, which housed France’s impressionist collection at that time.
“Paris is where I developed a true love of art. I was fortunate that I had the freedom at an early age to study art history, travel, and visit the great museums of Europe.”
Upon returning from Europe, Julie began a career in banking, and later received an MBA from Darden at the University of Virginia. She raised a family and continued a successful business career for 27 years, which left very little time for art. Following her retirement in 2010, she slowly migrated back to the studio, taking classes at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Studio School, the Visual Arts Center and Crossroads Art Center, as well as numerous workshops taught by artists outside of Richmond. At this stage, she enjoys painting most all subject matter, including landscapes en plein air, figures, portraits and animals, and is especially drawn to subjects with beautiful and unusual natural light.
“It is exciting at this late stage of my life to experience the world around me with new eyes – the light, the color, the shapes, the texture. Painting has finally taught me not only to stop and smell the roses, but to also rejoice in their beauty.”
