Julie Gayle Balliu trained as a Graphic Designer at Croydon School of Art & Design in the late 80's/early 90s, and followed a career as a freelance graphic artist in London before moving into marketing and advertising. After time in France, Cornwall and Albania Julie moved to the Kent coast in 2003, working in project coordination. Throughout her career she has painted and exhibited her artwork.
 
Julie has recently decided to return to her love of drawing and printmaking whilst also studying for a Fine Art degree. She loves exploring urban areas and the countryside, recording memories of wandering through towns and villages, gazing at street life and the tranquillity of nature. These activities provide a creative and critical dimension to her work using a range of media from painting, sketching and printmaking.
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"My own inspiration comes from watching the world around me; an inexhaustible supply of cliffs, little fishing boats and their catch of the day, patchwork farmed fields, footpaths etched through fields and hedgerows..gateways into other hidden lives... the weather and seasons, rock pools and beaches, bustling towns, grand houses with Victorian wrought ironwork, rows of terraced cottages with clustered chimney pots and little back yards, shop interiors, inviting interiors of seaside cafes, traditional pubs, retro rides and garish arcade colours... all unique to the places we know and love... both at home and abroad...and combine to make a library of images and experiences I'll never forget."