Julian lives and works among the volcanic hills and valleys of the Auvergne region in southern France. Working in thick, luscious oils on canvas, he seeks to capture the fleeting nuances of this changeable landscape.

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The artist describes his approach in the following words: “I paint quickly, in a rhythm which might, in an intangible way, reflect that of nature. I am conscious of the changing light, a breeze, of moving foliage and trees and the continual motion of the skies… but the driving force is really my enthusiasm in ‘finding’ this new composition. In these large landscapes there may only be a small area that attracts me, which will form the initial inspiration. This might be a contrast between hilltop and sky or a chance break of sun on a mountainside, which can form the central interest of a work.

I feel that we accept much of what we see in a landscape without analysis… a splash of rouge or ochre can be accepted as perhaps distant heather or open earth. In painting, I do not feel it necessary to explain these features in detail, and likewise in the peripheries of my paintings, where the eye is not focused but still conscious of form and colour, I simply suggest contours and other features by painting tracts of colour with a palette knife.

These overlaid sensations of light and colour, new forms, even temperature and smell, form an evocative train of inspiration. In visualising a new work, I draw upon this information almost abstractedly in terms of light and contrast, line and colour, until a living design is found. I find that however strong the original ideas for the composition were, the work will always find a new life of its own, causing me to sometimes omit certain features or to exaggerate others, with the result that the work will often have strayed far from the original subject, although always remaining identifiable.”