Julia Bray was born in Baton Rouge, LA, and raised in Natchez, Mississippi. She graduated from Cathedral High School in 2010, attended Copiah-Lincoln Community College, and earned her BFA in Painting and Drawing (emphasis in painting) from Mississippi University for Women in May 2017.

While at The W, her work was selected for the Juried Student Exhibition in 2015 and 2016, where she won 1st Place in Printmaking and 3rd Place in Painting. She also displayed work outside the university president’s office and participated in the Art in Autumn Auction and The Collegiate Show.

Julia creates bold, textured non-objective paintings she calls “organized chaos.” In her own words:

“I embraced the open-ended process in creating my work of art. I dubbed my work as ‘organized chaos’ and love the new discoveries I make while painting.”

In addition to her studio practice, Julia is an active instructor and participant in the regional arts community. She teaches workshops in Natchez as well as in St. Francisville for OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) and Arts for All. She has also exhibited and participated in local art festivals including Art on the Bluff in Natchez and the Yellow Leaf Arts Festival in St. Francisville