About
Julie Ann is a native Californian artist who thinks about the health of our shared planet daily. She hopes to see as much of this beautifully complicated place as she can before she travels to the next realm.
She earned her BA in Fashion Design at Otis College of Art in Los Angeles. A freelance illustration job for a swimwear company in her junior year developed into a design position when she graduated. She has lived the endless Summer, thinking about bikinis for over two decades. Her designs were known for a great fit from high quality materials and techniques. If cared for correctly, then most of them are still around to enjoy today just like her own vintage wardrobe. Her swimsuits have been worn by many celebrities and featured in many publications including Elle, Harpers Bazaar, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Sports Illustrated and GQ.
The Browns at Ocean Beach
photo by Sheryl Birkner
Although digitally savvy, she still starts each art project with a pencil and a blank piece of paper. 'Drawing is so immediate and mobile. I never have to find a battery charger for my pencil.' She loves to draw women and has been profoundly influenced by the works of René Gruau, Alphonse Mucha, Alberto Vargas, Toulouse Lautrec and Ruben Toledo.
In 2014 she launched Feeling Famous Studios out of her home to learn the craft of portrait photography. Her love of classic films and vintage clothing led to an exploration of the studio photographers from the Golden Era of Hollywood like George Hurrell and Ruth Harriet Louise. She loves to orchestrate all the sets, costumes, props, hair and makeup to get each look just right. Guided by her mentors in the Photo Artists Network, she has become an award winning photographer.
A proud feminist, she showed an art piece in 2018 titled #Shedaredto at the Riverside Art Museum in collaboration with the 52 Project. It was a collection of photographs that represented important milestones of the march towards women's equality in the 20th century.
" All artists have the special gift of seeing the world differently. How we translate that vision to others carries a great deal of responsibility”
When not in her home studio creating art, she can be found in the classroom sharing her knowledge with the next generation of artists and designers at The Sewing Room in Alameda. She is passionate about developing curiosity and community in her students while asking them to think about bigger concerns like disruption, equal access, representation and sustainability.
She thinks gyms are boring and has been a #dancerforlife
MAD SKILLS:
INSTRUCTOR / art, design, fashion illustration, vintage hair styling
ADOBE CC / Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom
PHOTOGRAPHER / Canon 5d, portraits, travel
VINTAGE STYLIST/ of the 20th century 1900-1980
DESIGN / prints, graphics, apparel
PAINTING / acrylic, gouache, watercolor
DRAWING / conte, graphite, charcoal
LANGUAGE / conversational Italian
DANCER / ballet, Lindy hop, salsa, ballroom