Rive Gauche Art Gallery a Fine Art Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona

JuLee Simmons first set oil brush to canvas at the age of ten. That discovery unleashed a passion which has animated her life to the present day.

“Sometimes I wish I could make art like I did when I was young,” JuLee recalls. “There were no mistakes then. A bad drawing of a cow could turn into a pig. Now my work is more of a struggle. It is easy to make mistakes. It takes a lot of insight and patience to make that mark on the paper deliberate and profound.”

A native of Denver, Colorado, JuLee studied art at the University of Denver and completed her formal training at the San Francisco Art Institute from 1979 to 1981.

JuLee began her professional career as an artist for the Denver Nuggets and the Denver Broncos, and soon began creating portraits and golf art for the Senior PGA Tour. Looking back, JuLee observes: “Sports Art sometimes is derided as mere ‘genre’ art, but I never looked at it that way. I was refining techniques which I still draw on to create Fine Art. When I look at my early sports work, I see landscapes. I see figures in motion. I see portraiture.”

JuLee also produced baseball pieces; a limited edition print of baseball great Stan Musial was signed and numbered by Mr. Musial, and the first numbered print was presented to President Clinton during a trip by Mr. Musial to the Oval Office.

JuLee has traveled extensively in Spain, Africa, and Eastern Europe, broadening her creative understanding by studying the work of the Nineteenth Century masters. Upon her return from a one year stay in Eastern Europe, JuLee left the sports genre behind to turn to new subject matter which fully engaged her artistic passions. Preliminary sketches and watercolors from her travels serve as the basis for many of her current paintings.

“My style generally is impressionistic, but sometimes I like to work in a tighter style inspired by the masters of the 17 th and 18 th centuries,” JuLee observes. “I try to create scenes that are timeless. When the viewer has no historical reference, it is easier to focus on the emotional content of the piece.”

Mature artistic vision does not arise spontaneously, but usually is the product of years of experimentation and false starts. The process can be painful for the artist. “Sometimes I become frustrated with the pace of my progress,” JuLee acknowledges. ”Why has it taken thirty years of creative endeavor to reach this point? Then, after pushing at the barriers for a period of time, I suddenly experience a breakthrough and feel a release. I leave my studio feeling exhausted but happy. I know that I could not have created my current pieces ten years ago. When I was younger I could not look deeply enough.

Many of JuLee’s current pieces are paintings of young women. “I like the romantic perspective of the Nineteenth Century,” she says. “Rather than focus on the ‘shock of the new,’ I prefer creating art that celebrates beauty.”