"Milo" Painting

Julie Manson is a contemporary painter whose expressive work emotionally connects with the viewer. Interested in exploring notions of identity and responding to atypical or unorthodox beauty, her subjects are often local people with extraordinary personal stories. These paintings express issues of gender, beauty, sexuality and psychodrama.

The work often reveals the darker side of human experience which she relates directly to her landscape and still-life paintings. Inspiration comes from the beauty of the overlooked or unnoticed, such as forgotten country paths, abandoned buildings and the personal narratives of individual human and animal life. Strong mark making and an emotive colour palette construct a personal narrative with the subject which allows the viewer to ally their own experiences with the work and invites them to take a closer examination of humanity and our environment.

Julie has been a practising tattoo artist for 20 years. Tattooing is a valuable art form which requires a broad ranging ability and skill set. Her portraits often feature people who she has tattooed, who have shared their stories. Personalities are multifaceted, often holding incongruous experiences or conflicting views and feelings simultaneously and her portraits seek to reveal hidden stories and secrets.

Julie lives and works in Leicestershire and her work has been featured in several publications as well as in solo and open exhibitions around the UK.