Julie E. Brady attended Boston University, where she received her B.F.A. in painting, with additional concentrations in photography and graphic design. After graduating she went on to pursue an M.F.A. in painting from the New York Academy of Art.
She is very interested in painting flesh. Through experimentation she continues to find new ways to improve upon the realism in her figures. These figures are juxtaposed against environments that are unexpected. At this time she is exploring self-portraiture and femininity. Julie asks the viewer; "What is feminine?"
Many of her compositional sensibilities come from her training as a photographer and graphic designer. The cable release cords that sometimes appear in her work are 'homage' to Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Stills.
Her father is a surgeon and she grew up fascinated by the absolute sterile environments of operating rooms. This is where her affinity towards clean spaces came from. Her interest in fashion and the theatrically perfect are apparent; as also seen in the photography of Slim Aarons and John Rawlings.
Surrealism-inspired quirkiness is an integral important aspect to her work as well and has led to the various oddities she has included in her paintings.
