About: Julie Sanderson
Artist Statement
I paint to capture a moment before it changes.
Working primarily from life, I am drawn to the fleeting qualities of light, atmosphere, and movement. Outdoors, nothing stays still for long. Shadows shift, clouds move, the wind changes the shape of the trees, and a building that seemed ordinary moments before can suddenly become luminous. That constant change is what keeps me painting.
I am not interested in simply recording what is in front of me. I want to capture what it felt like to be there.
My paintings begin with observation, but somewhere along the way observation gives way to instinct. I simplify shapes, push color, lose edges, and allow brushwork to remain visible. I want the viewer to feel the immediacy of the painting—to sense that it was made in response to a particular place at a particular moment.
Painting plein air has taught me to make decisions quickly and to trust what first attracted me to a scene. Often it is something simple: late afternoon light stretching across a road, the rhythm of buildings along a small-town street, boats resting in a harbor, or trees moving against a changing sky. These ordinary subjects become extraordinary when light transforms them.
The landscapes, towns, and coastal communities of rural America continually draw me back. I am interested in their character and history, but also in the quieter moments that are easily passed by. I want my paintings to preserve something of these places without making them feel frozen in time.
For me, painting is ultimately about attention. It is about slowing down long enough to notice how beautiful and temporary a moment can be.
If my work allows someone else to pause, look a little longer, and feel something of what I felt standing there, then the painting has done what I hoped it would do.
Artist Bio
Julie Sanderson is an artist living in Montgomery, Texas. She graduated from Texas Tech University with BBA in Marketing and a Minor in Art. She has worked at many large advertising agencies in Texas. After leaving advertising, Julie became an Interior Decorator. However, the draw to become an artist has always been there, and she is now able to pursue a career in art. Julie works primarily in oils with a loose realistic vision.
Current awards are:
-Juried into Shadows on the Teche in 2022 and 2026. Received Honorable mention in 2026.
-Juried into Round Top En Plein Air and won Honorable Mention in 2025.
-Selected as Field Artist for 2025 EPAT Texas Artist Revival in San Angelo, Texas.
-Juried into Paint the Town in Marble Falls in 2022 through 2026. Received Third Place 2024.
-Juried into Plein Air Southwest in Galveston in 2019, 2021 and 2023 through 2026. Received the Award of Distinction in 2019.
-Second Place award in Salmagundi Club Rites of Spring Member Competition 2023.
-Juried into En Plein Air Texas in 2023 and 2022. Received the 10th Anniversary Celebration Award in 2023.
-Juried into Wayne Plein Air Festival in 2023. Received the Gamblin Award.
-Award of Distinction and First Place Quick Draw at Paint Kerville! 2022.
-First Place at Paint the Town 2023 and 2022 in Columbus, Texas.
-Best of Show at Brushes by the Beach Competition 2021 in Galveston, Texas.
-Juried work into American Impressionist Society Fall 2021 and 2022 and Spring 2024 Online Exhibit.
-Wet Paint Award of Excellence at the Oil Painters of America Convention, August 2021. Juried into the Western Exhibit in 2024.
-Award of Excellence and Artists’ Choice Award at the Outdoor Painter’s Society Competition, September 2021.
Galleries
Dahlia Woods and Catherine Stroud Gallery
515 22nd Street, Galveston, Texas 77550
713-480-3868
Friendswood Frame and Gallery
150 S. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood, Texas 77546
281-482-2022
Shows/Exhibitions
DeGallery Solo Show November 2023
Associations
Salmagundi Club Member
OPS-Outdoor Painters Society, Signature Member
AIS-American Impressionist Society
OPA-Oil Painters of America