Julie Griffin

Julie Griffin was born in Fort Myers in 1963, with a natural talent to draw and paint. She attended FSU in 1985 and earned a BFA in Fine Arts with a minor in Art History, Marketing, and Art Education. She searched for 15 years until 1999 when she found Frank Covino and his Academic way of teaching art. Then studied with him for twenty years while she raised her children and taught after school art lessons to keep her eye sharp. “Drawing and painting has always come easy to me, I consider it a gift. I find it flows faster and stronger with each passing day I paint. I consider myself a realist painter or better defined as an Academic artist.” Julie Griffin

What is Academic Art? It is defined as the method of painting a three-dimensional object by creating an illusion on a two-dimensional surface using rules established by the masters’. Julie is constantly seeking to unlock methods and secrets that the masters used to paint their masterpieces. Only by studying the masters can we learn their methods and techniques. She attempts to match the masters’ skills using the academic rules and unlocks what rules they might have amplified or left out or altered. Academic painters are only permitted to paint in the Louvre, and permission to do so must be attained with samples of their work, along with a background checks and references. Loving the challenge of painting in the Louvre (twice) and The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and she cherishes that honor and experience. There are 7 basic rules of Academic art, one being the values and hews of color change, depending on the amount of light. Light plays a major roll in each of her paintings no matter what the subject is, because to her the light is the subject. Her oil paintings glow in richness and in depth, and her experience shows in each of her works.

She enjoys teaching art, participating in art shows, and continues to take classes because she believes one never stop learning and must continue to practice to stay sharp and inspired. She enjoys passing her knowledge along to others, because she knows how precious the information is for aspiring artists. 

You can find Julie painting at her art studio, Julie Griffin Studios at: 9280-7 College pkwy, Fort Myers, FL 33919 Phone 239-872-9811 FB-Julie Griffin studios www.Juliegriffinstudios.com