PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO
JULIA
Julia Softley is a contemporary Australian artist whose work explores restraint, memory, and the quiet relationship between drawing and painting. Working primarily with watercolour pencil, she examines how a controlled mark transforms into fluid paint, and how that shift parallels perception.
Her practice sits between illustration and fine art, using line as structure and tone as atmosphere. Forms emerge gently rather than being declared, with negative space remaining active in the composition. Through soft layering and editing, colour is reduced to essential marks, privileging observation over decoration.
Influenced by a background in fashion development, textiles and visual branding, her work reflects sensitivity to silhouette, proportion and tonal balance. Images feel familiar yet unresolved, positioned between figure and suggestion.
Alongside her studio practice, Softley teaches the process of articulation. Her teaching emphasises material understanding and visual observation, helping learners build confidence through control rather than imitation. Across both artwork and education, her work asks the same question: how little is needed for an image to feel complete.
Artist's Statement
What Sets Julia Apart
My work developed after pivoting from more than 20 years in the apparel industry. I immersed myself in fashion, eventually founding and running a women’s apparel brand for over 15 years.
While revisiting fine art, originally studied in my early twenties, I rediscovered watercolour pencil. The practice offered therapeutic benefits, and I found my strengths in image-making felt more natural and assured than in my earlier approaches.
As I began finalising my business and sharing my work with others, I noticed a common belief that artistic ability was an innate talent rather than a learnable visual skill. Through that realisation, my studio practice and teaching became connected.
I also recognised that some mediums, particularly watercolour pencil, are under-taught, misunderstood and often misused. Sharing my knowledge became less about instruction and more about contribution giving others access to a process that feels achievable.
My artwork explores calm, layered spaces rather than dramatic gesture. I continue to work across several mediums, including acrylic, gouache and conté.
With an eye for trends and an interest in emotive colour and tone, I aim to create art that sits comfortably within interiors and daily life rather than dominating a room. The work is intentionally balanced and quiet, allowing the viewer to spend time with it rather than react to it.
At the same time, my teaching breaks artistic processes into understandable steps. I do not teach projects alone; I teach a process observation, layering and decision-making so that people can continue creating independently.
The studio, therefore serves two purposes:
• to create contemporary artwork for lived environments
• to teach people how to see and make art with confidence
Julia Softley’s practice includes:
• Original contemporary artworks
• Limited edition fine art prints
• Corporate and community workshops
• School art and residence programs
• Online art education courses
• Beginner drawing, conte and watercolour pencil instruction
Her artwork and teaching are produced using archival materials and focus on tonal layering, simplified forms and restrained colour palettes designed to integrate with the eye.
Practice Overview
1
PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO
education and professional background
Julia Softley is a practising contemporary artist and a trained visual art educator, with experience in private, corporate workshops and school programs. She is also a pre-service secondary visual arts and textiles teacher.
Her art, apparel, and teaching background inform the structure of her courses and workshops, where learning is sequenced, scaffolded, and accessible to beginners. The same principles used in classroom teaching are applied in adult education settings and corporate workshops.
The combination of active studio practice and education allows her to operate in both the creative and learning sectors
2
pedagogy
Julia Softley is a practising contemporary artist and a trained visual art educator, with experience in private, corporate workshops and school programs. She is also a pre-service secondary visual arts and textiles teacher.
Her art, apparel, and teaching background inform the structure of her courses and workshops, where learning is sequenced, scaffolded, and accessible to beginners. The same principles used in classroom teaching are applied in adult education settings and corporate workshops.
The combination of active studio practice and education allows her to operate in both the creative and learning sectors.