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Julia C R Gray

About the artist and her works

Julia C R Gray was born in Los Angeles, August 5, 1960; raised in southern California. Gray has been painting since the age of 5; she began studying oil painting at 13. She has since studied and worked in many other mediums such as etching, acrylic, ceramics and bronze sculpture. Her first love is still oil painting and is a full time oil painter. Gray’s home and studio is in Cardiff by the Sea, California, where she and her husband have raised their three sons.

Gray painted her first mural at age 16; it was the first commissioned work of many spanning her art career. She has shown her work publicly in galleries, group and solo shows across the U.S since 1996.

In 1995 Gray created works inspired by her spiritual journey through meditation and ritual. While continuing this work, Gray also focused on painting endangered spaces and species from the years 1999 to 2004. Her artwork evolved in 2004 from wildlife art into vibrant figurative oil paintings. Gray paints multiple layers of transparent oil creating the depth and vibrant colors in her paintings. 2009 and 2010 Gray has been exploring her subjects through painting and sculpting.

Selected Exhibitions
2010
Lion’s Peak Winery Gallery, Solvang, CA • Sofia Hotel, San Diego, CA • Alexander Salazar Gallery, San Diego, California

2009
ArtWalk, Little Italy, San Diego, California • Featured Artist, Forte Salon, Solana Beach, CA • Surf, Sand, Chic Juried show, W Hotel, San Diego, CA • ARTruism, UN sponsored event, Balboa Park,

2008
Featured Artist, ArtWalk, Little Italy, San Diego, California • Drum & Mask Festival Riverside, CA • Blue Dome Gallery, New Mexico •Bacchus & Venus, Sausalito, CA

2007
Colors To Life Beautiful, Invitational, Gallery 626, Los Angeles, CA •Solo Exhibition, Eagle, Idaho • Featured Artist Bacchus & Venus, Sausalito, CA • Raw Style, Santa Monica, California • Brown’s Gallery, Boise, Idaho

2006
Featured Artist, Bridge Street Gallery, Cambria, CA • Featured Artist, Timeless Goddess, Banning Center for the Arts, CA • ArtWalk, Little Italy, San Diego, California

2005
Wildlife Juried and Invitational, Natural History Museum, San Diego, CA • Escondido Center for the Arts, Escondido, CA • Lillian Berkley Collection, Escondido, CA • Rock Island Gallery, Coronado, CA

2004-1996
Pepperdine Center for the Arts, Los Angeles, CA • Made in California, Juried Show, Brea CA • Cold Blooded Creations, Juried Show, Daytona Beach, Florida • Christine’s Gallery, Silver City, NM •

Public Art Programs

2007
Public Mural, Design and lead 170 volunteers, San Diego River Park Foundation, San Diego, CA Vice President, Rancho Santa Fe Art Guild.

2002-04
Wild Bogs & Leaping Frogs, Produced and founded interactive art & environmental fair.

2001
Canvas murals public Petroglyph project, Dr. Mitchell, Escondido, California

1995
Mural for Del Mar fair with students Harris Elementary School, Cardiff, California

1990 Public Mural, Alpine Elementary School, Alpine, California

1987-99
Volunteer art teacher Public schools, Alpine, Cardiff and Encinitas, California
Murals, Elementary School, James Hubble project, Tijuana, Mexico
Touring Arts Mobile, Created projects to interact and bring art to public, Encinitas, California
Quail Botanical Gardens, Encinitas CA. Arts Alive, Encinitas, CA

Artist Statement

Evolution and the mysterious way biology manifests itself in human emotion was part of my inspiration for the Amphibian and Koi People series. As a species, we’re drawn to tribal behavior that marks us as part of a group. Tattoos, piercings, hair styles and fashion are all statements of identity. What if, through recombinant DNA, we could genetically alter our appearance to have the markings of tigers, frogs, or koi?

The human race is changing dramatically. Artificial intelligence and cyborgs are part of our daily reality. Our ideas of physical attractiveness are also transforming; yet one thing that has remained the same through millenniums is our desire to alter our appearance to attract a mate.

Rather than regarding recombinant DNA as a tool for making stronger or more powerful humans, the Koi People series asks us to consider gene modification inspired by love and sensuality. It raises the assumption that our need for identity and our yearning to connect with others are still intact. There has always been a strong relationship between science and art. One enhances and builds upon the other. The Amphibian and Koi people series asks us to imagine how DNA modification could truly initiate us into the tribe of our choice. Is it really a leap to visualize a clan of the tiger or a nation of koi people? Would this be a new step in evolution?

The figures made their first appearance in my dreams in 2004, while I was producing the event Wild Bogs and Leaping Frogs at the Botanical Gardens. Twelve paintings completed the Series of Garden Goddesses (Amphibian figures), painted from 2004 to 2007. When Avatar hit the theatres, gallery owners and collectors commented on the similarity of the imagery to my work. And that takes me onto another mystery to ponder…how connected are we, humans, through collective consciousness?

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