Artist's Statement
Julie Ford Oliver – "Time ceases to exist while I paint. I feel at peace with myself, whole, complete and
totally absorbed by my work."
The desire to paint and draw has been an intrinsic part of Julie Ford Oliver's personality from the time she was a
small child in England. She credits her mother for giving her the self-assurance to succeed as an artist. Encouraged by
her art teacher, Oliver tried out for and won a scholarship to Manchester School of Art. She enjoyed every aspect of her
training and it was there she decided to pursue a career in illustration. It was a decision that has provided her with a
stimulating and successful career after she moved to the United States.
The artist currently paints in a variety of media allowing the subject matter to guide her choice. Working out of a spacious
studio situated in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Oliver relates that she is happiest when she is at the easel.
In addition to a one-woman show at the Americana Museum, El Paso, Texas, her work has been exhibited at the International
Museum of Art, El Paso. The Chamizal National Memorial, El Paso, American Women Artist Competition in Santa Fe and in the
book and exhibition ”Desert Echo,• (Woman's Museum of Dallas), and most recently had three of her pieces accepted
in the juried exhibition “Along the Rio Grande” at the Museum of the Department of the Interior, Washington, DC.