Julia Maddalina
My passion for the arts has been fueled by fine art portraiture & illustration from a very young age. By the age of 12, enthusiasm for learning prompted seeking out instruction from artists in the community & participating in gallery shows with community art organizations.
I’ve spent the last 15 years studying portraiture in oil paint from artists from around the country and have brought this knowledge to my illustrative work. I have been attending the Portrait Society of America Conference, as well as other portrait painting workshops since the age of 12. I attended on a full scholarship and graduated with a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2018 with a major in Illustration in hopes of incorporating the narratives I loved into my paintings. As well as taking on a minor in Biomedical Illustration to improve the anatomy of the figures and portraits in my work. However, my technical and portrait abilities were imparted to me from the artists and mentors in my life before college. Some of them that had the largest impact on the earliest part of my career were artists Sari Gaby, Steve Carpenter, Chris Kolupski, Scott Burdick, Susan Lyons, Robert Liberace, David Kassan, Michelle Dunaway, Jeff Hein, Richard Schmid, and Nancy Guzik.
I was featured in South African Artists Magazine as an International Artist in 2019, recognized in Southwest Artists Magazine as “21 Under 31 Artists to Watch” in 2014. Received recognition from the Portrait Society of America in their Members Only Competition in 2019 and 2020, and in 2022 with a recognition in the “Select 50” category of the International Competition, among many other recognitions and awards.
In addition to traveling the United States giving lectures, classes, and demonstrations on drawing with General Pencil Company, I’m working on a mix of fine art commissions, freelance illustration work, gallery show pieces, and creating educational content.
Since the pandemic, I’ve found myself working with numerous charities such as Worldbuilders, Jasper’s Game Day, The Hispanic Federation, the Pablove Foundation, and Project HOPE, using my work to further support their causes whenever I am able to.
I aim to keep inspiring young artists and telling great narratives through the medium of portraiture.
I’ve spent the last 15 years studying portraiture in oil paint from artists from around the country and have brought this knowledge to my illustrative work. I have been attending the Portrait Society of America Conference, as well as other portrait painting workshops since the age of 12. I attended on a full scholarship and graduated with a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2018 with a major in Illustration in hopes of incorporating the narratives I loved into my paintings. As well as taking on a minor in Biomedical Illustration to improve the anatomy of the figures and portraits in my work. However, my technical and portrait abilities were imparted to me from the artists and mentors in my life before college. Some of them that had the largest impact on the earliest part of my career were artists Sari Gaby, Steve Carpenter, Chris Kolupski, Scott Burdick, Susan Lyons, Robert Liberace, David Kassan, Michelle Dunaway, Jeff Hein, Richard Schmid, and Nancy Guzik.
I was featured in South African Artists Magazine as an International Artist in 2019, recognized in Southwest Artists Magazine as “21 Under 31 Artists to Watch” in 2014. Received recognition from the Portrait Society of America in their Members Only Competition in 2019 and 2020, and in 2022 with a recognition in the “Select 50” category of the International Competition, among many other recognitions and awards.
In addition to traveling the United States giving lectures, classes, and demonstrations on drawing with General Pencil Company, I’m working on a mix of fine art commissions, freelance illustration work, gallery show pieces, and creating educational content.
Since the pandemic, I’ve found myself working with numerous charities such as Worldbuilders, Jasper’s Game Day, The Hispanic Federation, the Pablove Foundation, and Project HOPE, using my work to further support their causes whenever I am able to.
I aim to keep inspiring young artists and telling great narratives through the medium of portraiture.
