Born in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in 1958, I grew up in Sydney and after completing a Diploma of Visual Arts, majoring in printmaking at Sydney College of the Arts in 1979, I travelled overseas and studied printmaking at the Central School of Art in London. I converted my diploma to a degree at SCA in 1982 and moved to Walcha, NSW when I married Stephen King in the same year.
I began to move from printmaking to painting in 1990 working in both watercolours and oils. Interiors and the fronts of houses held a fascination for me but gradually I started to paint the landscape in which I live and particularly what I see from the road. I tend to choose my subjects by coming back to a spot which has consistently left me with a strong impression or by catching moments when the elements of a place are caught in the spotlight from the changing light. The weather is reflected in the landscape, as is the presence of man in the way he has delineated the landscape with roads and fences that follow the contours of the land, pegging out territory, asserting control and ownership. I try to strike a chord of recognition, of a moment that was real and is familiar to me and the viewer.
More recently I returned to painting interiors and making multiple plate etchings exploring the inner lives of abandoned spaces; old houses that still hold memories and the remnants of another life and time. The date of a calendar marking the time of abandonment, the interplay of shadowed empty rooms and the light through lace curtains create a poignant stillness.
Currently I am working towards a major exhibition at Tamworth Regional Gallery late this year 2023. I am sharing the space with my daughter Gemma King, a printmaker. The exhibition is titled Land and Sky.
BIOGRAPHY
1958 Born Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
1971-74 Willoughby Workshop
1977-79 Diploma of Visual Arts - Sydney College of the Arts
1981 Post-graduate studies - Central School of Art, London
1982 Bachelor of Visual Arts - Sydney College of the Arts.
1990-2005 Casual teaching at Armidale and Tamworth Technical Colleges.
Printmaking workshops for school and TAFE students held in own studio.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1983 Parmenter Gallery, Walcha
1988 Coventry, Sydney
Cintra Galleries, Brisbane
1990 Coventry, Sydney
1992 New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale
Coventry, Sydney
1994 Coventry, Sydney
1996 Coventry, Sydney
Woodbyne Gallery, Jaspers Brush, NSW
1997 The Old School Gallery, Walcha
1999 Coventry, Sydney
2002 Brian Moore Gallery, Sydney
2004 “Familiar Territory” - New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale
“New Paintings” Brian Moore Gallery, Sydney
2007 Maunsell Wickes at Barry Stern Galleries, Sydney
“From the Road” - New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale
2009 “From the Road II” - Moree Plains Gallery, NSW
2010 “Last Light” – Tamworth Regional Gallery, NSW
“From Walcha to Gulgong” – Cudgegong Gallery, Gulgong, NSW
2011 “Recent Paintings" - Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha, NSW
“Walking Larapinta” – New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale
2014 “Out West” – Weswal Gallery, Tamworth, NSW
2015 Maunsell Wickes, Paddington, NSW
2016 Walcha Gallery of Art, NSW
2017 Maunsell Wickes, Paddington, NSW
“Inside Space” – New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale
2019 Maunsell Wickes, Paddington, NSW
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1979 NSW Travelling Art Scholarship, Blaxland Gallery, Sydney
1986 "Artists from North West N.S.W." - Blaxland Gallery, Sydney
"Sydney Printmakers" - Blaxland Gallery, Sydney
1987 "Five Northern Printmakers" - Weswal Gallery, Tamworth
1988 "New Works from the Studio" - Coventry, Sydney
"The Packsaddle Show" - NERAM, Armidale
"Black and White" - Coventry, Sydney
1989 "Griffin, Sahm, Kensell, King" - Tamworth City Art Gallery
"15 Shopping Days to Christmas" - Coventry, Sydney
1990 "A Young Collectors Exhibition" - Coventry, Sydney
"66 Works from the Stockroom" - Coventry, Sydney
1991 "New Art Five Book Launch" - Coventry, Sydney
"The Packsaddle Show" - NERAM, Armidale
"The Christmas Show" - Coventry, Sydney
1992 "Works on Paper" - Coventry, Sydney
"Works on Paper" - Ben Grady, Canberra
1993 "On the Other Hand" - S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
"Northern Artists" - Coffin Creek Shed, Mudgee
"A Survey of Local Contemporary Practise" - Tamworth City Art Gallery
1994 "Roger Griffin, Julia Griffin, Stephen King" - Coffin Creek Shed, Mudgee
"Obsession" - Coventry Collection - Works on Paper - Campbelltown City Art Gallery, Travelling
Exhibition
1995 "Australia Felix" - Emu Plains Woolshed, Benalla
"Ironsides" - The Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
"Portia Geach Memorial Award" - S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
1996 "Julia Griffin, Stephen King and Roger Griffin" – Coffin Creek, Mudgee
“Elevations”, Old School Gallery, Walcha
1997 "Julia Griffin, Stephen King and Roger Griffin" – Coffin Creek Shed, Mudgee
"The Opening" - The Walcha Old School Gallery, Walcha.
1998 "The Print Show" - Coffin Creek, Mudgee
"Work from Coffin Creek Shed Mudgee" - Old School Gallery, Walcha
"Etchings" – Coventry, Sydney
1999 "1999 Coventry Diary" – Coventry, Sydney
2001 “Xmas Show” – Brian Moore Gallery, Sydney
2002 “First Exhibition of 2002” – Brian Moore Gallery, Sydney.
“Norvill Art Prize 2002” – Murrurundi, NSW
“New England Art Society – Spring Exhibition” – Highly commended
2003 “Walcha City of Art” – New Contemporaries, QVB, Sydney.
“Country Energy Landscape Painting Prize” – NERAM, Armidale
“Walcha City of Art” – Old School Gallery, Walcha
“Brian Moore Memorial Exhibition” – Brian Moore Gallery, Sydney
“Bulldust to Bitumen Art Show”, Walgett, NSW
“Surface Memories” – Tamworth City Art Gallery
2004 “New England Picture” – New England Regional Art Museum
Mosman Art Prize – Mosman Art Gallery
Festival of the Black Soil Plains – Moree Plains Gallery
Scone Art Prize – Scone Arts & Craft Centre
Country Energy Landscape Painting Prize – Wagga Wagga Art Gallery
“CountryScapes” – Sydney Opera House Exhibition Hall
Norvill Art Prize 2004 – Murrurundi, NSW
2005 “The Land” - Gallery 47, Rylstone, NSW
2006 “Launch” – Harrison Galleries, Paddington
“Regional Encounters” – Tamworth Regional Gallery
“Moving Art” Exhibition and Auction
“Walcha City of Art – Contemporary Australian Art” – Karlovy Vary Art Gallery, Czech Republic
SAAS opening exhibition, Tamworth
“Crossing New England”, The Armidale Gallery, Armidale
Norvill Art Prize 2006 – Murrurundi, NSW
Redlands Westpac Art Prize – Invited Artist – Mosman Art Gallery
“New England Contemporaries III” – New England Regional Art Museum
2007 “Less is More” – Tamworth Regional Gallery
“Country Energy Landscape Painting Prize” – Dubbo Regional Gallery
2008 “Countryscapes” - The Gunnery, Woolloomooloo
“Country Energy Landscape Painting Prize”- Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery
Norvill Art Prize 2008 – Murrurundi, NSW
2009 Muswellbrook Open Art Prize
“Six Australian Painters” – Maunsell Wickes at Barry Stern Galleries, Paddington
Walcha Gallery of Art – Opening exhibition
2010 “In(two)art” – Maitland Regional Gallery, NSW, Touring exhibition of artist couples
“Bulldust to Bitumen Art Show”, Walgett, NSW
Norvill Art Prize 2010 – Murrurundi, NSW
“Going Bush” – Joint exhibition with Stephen King - Galerie am park, Vienna, Austria
2011 Aspects – Goondiwindi, QLD
Open Outback Art Prize - Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery
Countryscapes – Bathurst Regional Gallery
2012 “In(two)art” – S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
Coventry’s Artists – New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale
The Drawing Show – Walcha Gallery of Art, NSW
2013 Stephen King, Julia Griffin, Nigel White – Walcha Gallery of Art, NSW
The Kunderang Show - Walcha Gallery of Art, NSW
2014 Walcha City of Art 10 years Anniversary – Walcha Gallery of Art, NSW
2015 “Art and the Land” – Kogarah City Council, NSW
Christmas Exhibition – Walcha Gallery of Art, NSW
2016 Janet Clayton Gallery, Paddington, NSW – courtesy Weswal Gallery, NSW
2017 The Kelton Plain Artist Residency – The Raglan Gallery, Cooma, NSW – courtesy of Defiance
Gallery
2018 4x4 Printmakers – Weswal Gallery, Tamworth
City of Light – Tamworth Regional Gallery, NSW
Christmas Exhibition Part 1 - AK Bellinger Gallery, Inverell, NSW
End of year group exhibition – Walcha Gallery of Art
2020 Suburban Portraits - Weswal Gallery, Tamworth
Paddington Art Prize - Defiance Gallery, Mary Place, Paddington, NSW
2021 Compass: Generations of Walcha Artists - NERAM, Armidale
Five at the Finke - Walcha Gallery of Art, NSW
2022 Still Life - Defiance Gallery, Mary Place, Paddington, NSW
Kunderang - Walcha Gallery of Art, NSW
2023 Craft and Art - A Collaboration of Craft Beer and Prints - Gemma King, Julia Griffin, Stephen King -
Walcha Gallery of Art, NSW
COLLECTIONS / AWARDS
Artbank Gadens
The Regent of Sydney
Baker and McKenzie
Campbelltown City Art Gallery
Tamworth Regional Gallery
Maitland Regional Gallery
Private collections Australia, USA, Hong Kong, U.K., Austria
Norvill Art Prize 2002 – Commended
Norvill Art Prize 2008 – Winner - People’s Choice
Bulldust to Bitumen Art Show - Winner – Landscape Prize
Norvill Art Prize 2010 – Highly Commended
Paddington Art Prize 2020 - Finalist
BIBLIOGRAPHY
New Art Five, Edited by Neville Drury, 1991
The Financial Review, September 1992
SMH, Page 14, October 2, 1992 by Bronwyn Watson
SMH, Spectrum, June 1, 1996 by John McDonald
SMH, Page 6, March 27, 2001, by Andrew Stevenson, Rural reporter
Artreach (Regional Arts NSW) June 2002, Page 24 by Cath Ovenden
The Australian, Page 17, June 20, 2003 by Tim Hughes
Artreach, Page 16-17, June 2003 by Jane Shadbolt and John McDonald
The Land, Magazine, Page 1, July 3, 2003 by Melissa Lang
“Walcha City of Art” colour catalogue – edited by John McDonald and published by New Contemporaries, QVB, Sydney
"Surface Memories" colour catalogue - published by Tamworth City Art Gallery, December 2003
The Newcastle Herald, Weekender, Page 8-9, February 21, 2004 by Darrell Croker
Armidale Express, Page 11, April 14, 2004
The Land, Magazine, Page 2, April 22, 2004
“New England Picture” catalogue and front cover - published by NERAM, 2004
The Daily Telegraph – Sydney Live Page 18, Dec 9, 2004 – Best arts shows of the week
SMH, Spectrum June 4-5 2005 by John McDonald
SMH, Spectrum, Page 16, June 3-4, 2006 “A reality Czech from Walcha” by John McDonald
Armidale Express – Page 1, Sept 17, 2007
Home Beautiful Magazine, Page 72, July 2009 - “Home Grown” by Karen Cotton
You Magazine, Page 13, August 2009 - “The Art of Living” by Wendy Spooner
The Courier Mail, Escape, Page 30, March 13-14, 2010 – “Rustic Renaissance” by Marea Donnelly
Daily Telegraph, Escape, Page 67, April 15, 2010 - “Beauty cut by hand and nature” by Marea Donnelly
ABC Radio NENW interview with Morning presenter Kelly Fuller – June 28, 2010
ABC Radio NENW, 22 March 2016 – 'New works by artist Julia Griffin' #np on #SoundCloud - interview with Kelly Fuller > listen