My work is informed by the landscape, particularly the movement of rivers and the sea. Whenever I can, I like to paint outside - there is a sense of freedom that enlarges the gestural movements when painting outdoors. My studio is in central Oxford, attached to the OVADA warehouse gallery.

My paintings explore the sensation of immersion - in water, music, or memory - and the shaping qualities of water. Alongside water-based paints, I use natural materials (stone dust, sand, chalk, salt, iron and copper powders), which divert and distort the paint in the drying process. I welcome the paint's tendency to ignore guidelines, using techniques and materials to make the flow of the paint less predictable. I like to explore the spaces that fall outside clear definition or explanation, and when I'm making work I'm usually seeking an image that is ambiguous, something that can't be pinned down.

I received my Masters in Fine Art from Oxford Brookes in 2021, and was awarded the MFA Fine Art Prize for Outstanding Achievement. My undergraduate degree was in Classics, from Cambridge University. I also worked for many years in development and fundraising for Oxford and Cambridge, and was a Fellow of Hertford College, Oxford.

Exhibitions

Dec 2023: Winter 2023, Rona Painting Gallery (group show)

Oct 2023: Shaped By Water, Rona Painting Gallery (two artist show)

June 2023: En Plein Air, Plage de la Clère, Noirmoutier (pop-up show)

May 2023: MOOD, OVADA Gallery (group show)

May 2022: un / re / dis / cover, OVADA Gallery (group show)

March 2022: For Women By Women, Rona Painting Gallery (group show)

Sept 2021: TWENTY TWENTY ONE, OVADA Gallery (group show)

Aug 2021: Liquid Grids, Jam Factory Gallery (solo show)

July 2021: MFA Graduate Show, Oxford Brookes University (group show)

May 2021: Unprecedented!, OVADA Gallery (group show)

March 2021: For Women By Women, Rona Painting Gallery (group show)

Get in touch

No question too large or small – contact me if you’d like to know more. julia.thaxton.artist@gmail.com, @thaxart on instagram.

Arrange a studio visit

I’m based in central Oxford at OVADA studios. Get in touch if you’d like to visit and view my work, or if you’d like to talk about a collaboration.

Commission a painting

My paintings range from £150 to £5,000. If you’re thinking about whether to commission something, contact me and we can chat about how it could work.