Rural Missouri - August 2021 - 14

Plein air is a style of painting that originated in France.
The idea is that the artist becomes immersed in the
landscapes they are painting, using the changes in light
and weather in their work. That style accurately describes
Julie's art, which is done in impressionist style with the
artist often using a single brush.
One of her works is a dramatic sunset painted at the
Klondike Park boat ramp near Augusta. A mix of orange
and pink, with darker tones of magenta at the edges, it
depicts the last vestiges of daylight with just a hint of blue
sky lingering.
" Most of my paintings I am trying to capture a mood or
a moment, " Julie says. " My goal is to memorize that moment
before it changes. Sunrises change faster. Sunsets
are great because they linger. You hold that moment. You
try to record it with your vision and experience. "
Another of Julie's paintings, titled " Shadows On the
Hayranks, " shows the windrows in a hayfield just as the
sun breaks through gaps in the clouds. Only by being
there with wet paint could the artist have recorded the
way the light falls on the field. Sometimes she works from
sketches or photographs as well.
Several of the paintings on display at the gallery are of
cows in a field, another of Julie's favorite subjects. Her
take on this commonplace scene has the feel of a daily
gathering of old friends, gossiping over tea rather than
chewing their cud. They each have a unique personality.
" One thing that happens when I am painting cows, "
Julie says, " they will come up because they are curious.
I get a 20-minute window, maybe half an hour. And then
they move on. "
The youngest of a family of artists, Julie honed her
skills while attending St. Joseph Academy in St. Louis, a
college prep school that offered a lot of art education. But
her desire to create art began much earlier. " It was always
there, " Julie admits.
Her first art show was in 1985 at the studio of her
Most of Julie's work focuses on nature, including landscapes as well as the
flora and fauna she encounters. Examples of her paintings include, from
top, " Feather and Lace, " " Golden Girls " and " The Drink. " Besides paintings
large and small, she also creates murals for homes and businesses.
brother, Don, an accomplished sculptor based in Chesterfield
where the family was raised. " I did sell some work and
it felt tremendous, " Julie says.
Initially her bread-and-butter was painting murals on
private homes, businesses and even traffic boxes in St.
Louis. This work included 60-foot murals for aviation company
McDonnell-Douglas (now Boeing).
" For years I did floral patterns on walls, " Julie says. " I
was known for that. Instead of people doing wallpaper, I
would start with a pattern on a room and just paint flowers.
That was really how I earned a living for about 10
years. My paintings were a minor part of that. "
Julie still welcomes mural commissions, but most of her
talents today go into her oil paintings. Her work ranges in
price from $250 for small paintings to $7,500 for an impressive
take on wildflowers called " Bee Balm Bliss. "
Rebuilding the old school and moving to the country
seems like destiny to Julie. " We are giving it our love and
affection, " she says. " I don't need to run around and travel.
I've got it all right here. It's a sweet spot. "
You can learn more about Julie and her work by calling
573-834-5064 or visiting www.juliewiegand.com. To reach
Tommy and his Griesedieck Brothers Landscaping and Construction
call 314-805-1300.
14 RURAL MISSOURI | AUGUST 2021
http://www.juliewiegand.com
Rural Missouri - August 2021

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