Born in 1965., Julie Fournier proudly calls Detroit home. The tremendous changes in her hometown as a result of the riots, the birth of cable television, the explosion of the computer age (with it's impact on art and design) and the feminist movement, shape and influence her work as an artist. Her work comments on the impact these events have on our lives, our psyches and our relationships with each other.

In 1997 Julie founded SmilingEyes Studio, a professional fine arts studio, so that she could dedicate herself to pursuing her career as an artist. In 2005 she graduated with honors from Wayne State University with a degree in Industrial Design. Known by many for her oil paintings, she is far from satisfied to be pigeonholed into only one discipline; Julie considers herself to be a multi-media artist.

Neo Realism best describes Julie's style. Often overlooked apects of daily life inspire her. This central concept can be found in the many different media she uses to rediscover the banal or forgotten in all its innate beauty. Her graphite drawings isolate objects in minute detail, focusing attention on such sights as the intricate lines in a pair of blue jeans. By painting glassware she utilizes the metaphor of the transparent vessel and, through a playful yet defined sprinkling of color and shape, turns the utilitarian form into a fuller sensual experience. The stained glass mosaics and painted furniture artwork she does often utilize found objects, bringing society's discards to center stage. The subjects she chooses for her oil paintings are taken from everday modern life, challenging traditional notions of beauty, social class and human interaction.

Julie's vision is built on her ability to see things that the crowd has passed by in its haste to move on to the next sensation. Focusing on the missed opportunity, the bypassed alternative, the meaning and wonder working within subjects or moments, Julie's work is accessible by way of conveying what her artist's eye has seen: capturing moments and sensations and freezing them in time so they can be shared. Ultimately Julie's work is about focusing the viewer's attention on relationships within the world around them.

Currently Julie is working full time as an artist and freelance designer. When she's not at her studio Julie plays pool, wrenches on her classic Mustang , or pinstripes cars under the name "Dee Striper."

To visit Julie Fournier's gallery on Streetwise Art, click here.