We reached out to Juliet to learn more about her creative process and her journey as an artist. She shared that she's based in Amityville, New York—a small town on the coast of Long Island—and growing up by the water has had a profound influence on her artwork. "I grew up running down to the old docks to find gulls flying around, crabs climbing up the old wooden side of the dock, sailboats coming in with the fog, and so many different sea creatures. We have many lighthouses on Long Island, and growing up, my family would often spend Sunday afternoons at the Horton Point Lighthouse, where you can walk a long staircase down to the sea and have a barbeque right under the beautiful old light.
We also spent much of our time in the nature preserve near our house, where, on any good day, you would see turtles, herons, rabbits, and other local wildlife. I am so fortunate to have grown up in a place that had so much beautiful nature surrounding it, and especially lucky that my parents (who were married on a whaleboat and are serious animal lovers) made it such a point to teach me the importance of appreciating the creatures within our world."
Juliet mentioned that she typically works in her studio daily, dedicating around eight to ten hours each day to her art, as her style requires a considerable amount of time to execute properly.
"I typically start my day every morning with a workout, and from there, head into the studio and only take breaks to eat meals until I walk my dogs at the end of the day. My pieces can take half a day to two months to complete, entirely depending on the size and how much stipple I incorporate into it. The pieces are created using a stippling technique in ink and then combined with graphite to create more depth and contrast. The only time I take a break from my usual work is to go out and take my own reference photos, something I am very passionate about. I feel that getting my own references helps me get closer to my subjects."
Juliet's artwork often carries a sense of depth and storytelling. Many of her pieces feel as though they hold a deeper narrative, so we asked her if she creates backstories for them. "Almost all of my illustrations have backstories. I have a BFA in Illustration from The School of Visual Arts and worked very hard on my writing skills while I was training to be a visual artist. I write short stories about each piece, and the galleries I show my work with will share the stories during my openings. All of my stories can be found on my website."
Creating art comes with its own set of challenges. When asked about the most difficult aspect of the creative process, Juliet shared, "The most challenging part of being an artist in my case is that I am wearing so many 'hats' at once to run my business. I am the illustrator, the writer, the website runner, the marketing team, the accountant, the shipping department, etc. I find it very hard to make sure there is enough time for everything and to always make sure I am doing everything right by my clients and collectors."
On the other hand, the most rewarding moment for Juliet as an artist is when she creates a quick concept sketch and then watches that simple idea come to life in her studio. "I come up with many of my pieces while taking reference photos and traveling, so to see a concept come to fruition is incredibly satisfying. Once I sketch an idea, getting to execute a finished, refined illustration of it feels like scratching an itch."
