Julie Rogers

“Art has always been a constant companion in my life. whether it was through my first impressions of painting the minute and life-like qualities in animals or simply the bright myriad of colors in the landscape of our ranch in Goshen, Utah.

As early as kindergarten my teachers noticed that art was the subject that would prevail over all other others in my life. I have always drawn and painted my life’s experiences since I was little. My work on the ranch was never complete and in that same aspect my obsession for art will never end. Art is a constant learning process.

What has started out to be simply an obsession has turned into a passion. A passion to create what I see and feel in front of me, to create the inner strength that presents itself within every subject I choose to paint.

That emotion and “life” is and always will be one of my main challenges to capture in a painting. The living part of the subject gives the painting its spiritual essence. It is a desire of mine to capture that spiritual essence.

I am always in search of an opportunity to paint with a higher goal. As I go through the trials of life I discover and gain principles of truth, a true value that will be found shining through almost all of the experiences in our lives.  I then try to incorporate those self same truths and values I have learned in my life’s work, so that they in turn can help someone else learn and be touched by those principles.

Figurative work is always a wonderful challenge. I love working with the model. This opportunity helps me see the true structure, values and color that are in all our surroundings and the people we associate ourselves with, if we choose to look for them.

As I start a work, I ask the questions, “What value or principle of character makes him or her unique and powerful? What do I see that is divine inside them?”

I like to capture an accurate feeling for the model, by focusing on the spirit I see in that person. For me it does not matter whether the subject I choose is currently alive or passed on. What matters is that each of them has a gift to share because of their uniqueness. I simply wish to help in that effort. As I turn towards the spiritual I find I have greater insights in my hope to paint art that will lift to the divine.”