Born in Lyon, from a French Dad and a Polish mother, raised in Paris and having studied in London, Wisconsin and worked in Bordeaux, Toulouse, New York, Sydney and now Singapore, Julie Saint Jean gets her inspiration from her multiple travels. She often says “with all the time spend flying in an aircraft, I paint in my head, and as soon as I land, it has to come out, in an immediate urgent manner”.
Emerging French contemporary artist based now based in France, her previous career has taken her to various places amongst which Russia, Scandinavia, Laos, Vietnam, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, and New Zealand, a long list of beautiful countries where art is more than a cultural element in its own right, it’s a way of life, it’s an essence, a reason to be. She has been nourished by such variety and colors and her work now transpires such inspirations. As Claude Monet would say “Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.”
Julie Saint Jean paints on canvas, using mostly acrylic, but also oils and watercolors but most interestingly, any tools which she may come across: sometimes traditional brushes, food, fingers, utensils, leaves, wherever she finds inspirations. She likes to paint big and loves using textures, any texture she can create and vibrant colors. Her paintings are for each individual to see what they wish to see: there is no recommended direction to the painting. She likes to paraphrase Georgia O’Keefe in saying “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.”