Biography


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My name is Julie Dawson, and I live with my wonderful husband, Peter, in Birmingham, Michigan. I am an artist, author, speaker, and traveler and am grateful every day for my fantastic life.

AS A WATERCOLOR ARTIST, my paintings are inspired by my favorite memories from extensive, intensive journeys in 97 countries. My husband and I were introduced because of our mutual passion for travel. We like to spend 4 to 7 weeks in a single country on our own, and have journeyed to many remote corners of the world.

For me it is important that my paintings come from my own personal experiences. I am so lucky to have had so many travel adventures on which to draw.

My watercolors have been shown in more than 87 one woman exhibitions, and are in private and public collections throughout the world. Lithographs of 41 of my watercolors and drawings are available in signed limited editions.

AS AN AUTHOR, I have written and illustrated 3 children’s books about the Sillybillies. Each Sillybilly wears a star, a bell, and a ribbon, is wearing a silly costume and doing something silly. For me, it was such fun combining my drawing and poetry in these books. They are books of encouragement.

Recently, I photographed, wrote, and self published a coffee table art book of bells which I have discovered in 57 countries. Creating Seeing the World through the Heart of its Bells was a huge, all consuming, and fun 2 year project which culminated 15 years of photographing bells on our trips. For me, the most intriguing part of photography is content and composition.

AS A SPEAKER, I have given over 361 talks about my Art, Life in Other Countries, and Bells.

I give ART TOURS of my art and gardens to groups at my home/studio/gallery. My 2 ½ hour program includes a talk about my world as an artist, a tour of my original watercolors and my gardens. The event ends up in my studio with a demonstration of watercolor painting. Recommended group size is 15. For the group, there is a $40 fee. To arrange a tour, call me at 248.647.1879.

I grew up in Highland Park, Illinois and graduated from DePauw University. For 18 years I took classes at Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center. My career as an artist began in 1973. Previously, I worked for 15 years in administrative positions.