About Julie St. Clair
Seattle -based photographer Julie St. Clair works at the intersection of lens-based imagery, digital process, and contemporary large-scale printmaking. With over three decades of experience in editorial photography, video, and color science, her work blends deep technical expertise with a highly intuitive visual language rooted in abstraction, texture, and time. Trained in both fine art and commercial photography, Julie crafted visual identities through photography, film and video for notable clients across retail, medical manufacturing, and higher education. Her background as a color specialist—shaped by years in pre-press, print, and digital workflows—drives her use of color in both subtle shifts and bold extremes.
Artist Statement
“The Camera has never been simply a mechanism to me. It’s been the main source of my creativity and has been all of my adult life. There is is a kind of hunger in the camera and I am consistently drawn to that. But it’s the digital tools available today that allows my art to exist. My artworks are made from layers of images, random moments captured over time and space. Through blending and other tools I’m able to move any single image beyond the range of its own limits. The weight of the digital crush creates its own kind of energy, allowing lived moments to seek new avenues of existence. Through this process, I am able to see my own presence in a more abstract, existential way. It fascinates me how, through technology, images begin to collaborate—not only with one another, but with me—as they evolve toward something new. One could say I am reliving what I have lived, reconstructing one reality into another, and there is truth in that. The final works are familiar to me and, at the same time completely new. I am deeply drawn to the luminescence and depth found in the paintings of 19th-century masters, and I strive to evoke those qualities in my work. Essentially, In terms of technique, I am in search of how—or even if—the digital image can evoke the physical presence and atmosphere once reserved for a painting.”
All artworks are created solely from my original photography, printed as limited edition Giclée prints on fine art paper and mounted on archival materials. Designed for impact at scale, each piece is intended for open display without glass, allowing the viewer full access to the intricate details.
In addition to fine art paper, select works are also produced on aluminum or plexiglass substrates—materials chosen for their ability to complement specific environments. Printing on metal enhances depth and luminosity, ideal for contemporary or high-contrast spaces, while plexiglass offers a refined transparency and modern edge suited to bright, open interiors.
Each medium preserves the precision of photography while amplifying the expressive depth of painting, forming a distinct visual language that responds to both light and setting.
Contact Julie St. Clair at 510-387-7500, julie@juliestclair.com