Julia Cairns
| Julia
Cairns, an English artist (born 1959), traveled to Africa in her early
twenties and became enamored with the landscape and people of
Botswana. During the nine years she lived there, she painted mostly
the landscapes, living in the unspoiled beauty of the Okavango Delta.
She had many exhibitions in the capital, Gaborone, and was commissioned
to design four sets of stamps for the Botswana Postal Service. In
1989, she was asked to paint a portrait of the President (Dr. Quett Masire).
During her time in Botswana, Julia also managed to travel to other parts of the world on painting trips. The Amazon, Caribbean, and other parts of Africa were inspiring to her sense of color and her penchant for the ethnic way of life. To supplement her income, she published her own postcards and greeting cards, which depicted more whimsical images of the people and animals that were the foundation of the art she creates today -- Africans in vivid colored cloths against vibrant backdrops of tropical foliage; animals charging through the jungle, swinging from trees, stealing fruit. It is images such as these that continue to dominate her artwork. She has lived in the United States for eleven years now, and has had success in the more commercial field of licensing. Her images are reproduced on jigsaw puzzles, cards, calendars, bookmarks, posters, mugs, and music boxes. In 1999, Julia illustrated two children's books, both with African themes, which were published in September 2000 and February 2001. The book Off To The Sweet Shores of Africa won an American library Association 'Notable Book Award' for 2000. The Spider Weaver, a Ghanaian folk tale, was selected by the Society of Illustrators for their 'Original Art 2001' exhibition in New York, which showcases the year's best children's book illustrations. It was also nominated for an NAACP 'Image Award'. Two board books - I Spy in the Jungle and I Spy in the Ocean were released in September 2001 by Chronicle books. Her latest children's books, Grandad's Tree and We All Went on Safari, are both published by Barefoot Books. We All Went on Safari has won an Oppenheimer Toy Portfolio 'Gold Award', Child Magazine's 'Best Children's Book 2003 Award' and 'Teachers Choice Award' for 2003. One of Julia's paintings won the 'Glass House Award' at the Mirai exhibition in Tokyo, Japan in April 2003. 'We All Went on Safari' was nominated for the 2004 Kate Greenaway Medal (UK). Julia is currently working on a new book for Barefoot books ... 'Mama Panyes Pancakes' to be published in Spring of 2005. |
