Julie Siracusa

Siracusa has always been driven to create and her early art included drawing, painting, collage, and sculpture, and if she was interested in a particular media, her mom made sure she had the supplies. Throughout her school years, art class was pure fun, for as much as she loved academics, art was the main attraction at school.

In college, Siracusa studied fine art, art history, and architecture, but creating art won out over academic studies. Drawing, painting, and sculpture were her disciplines and since college, she has gained appreciation for many artists on a greater level, including Andy Warhol, his “factory,” and the vast amount of quality work he produced.

Today, Julie Siracusa lives in Lafayette, Louisiana, in a house she designed and built while studying architecture. In 1996 she opened her design service, Siracusa Design, and has become one of the most successful designers in her market, while still making fine art that captures the waves, warmth, power, and beauty of the oceans of the world. Her artistic process has evolved over the years, moving from very precise edges to a much looser fluid technique capable of bringing collectors under the water with her.

During lockdown in the spring of 2020, Siracusa began displaying her large ocean paintings in her front yard, as a way of bringing socially distanced joy to neighbors. She rotated the works of art each day, so there was always something fresh and exciting for viewers during a time when smiles were scarce. Kids wanted to meet the artist behind this front yard art gallery, and soon she began teaching them art. Then she saw Kenny Chesney’s No Shoes Reefs campaign raising awareness and money to help conserve and rebuild dying coral reefs. Siracusa’s love of oceans made her reach out to Chesney’s people and a few weeks later, she became the artist partner of No Shoes Reefs, designing social media images, t-shirts, and hats, as well as logos incorporating ocean waves and a variety of sea animals. Original paintings and prints were also part of the collaborated creations that saw thousands of dollars raised and donated to help ocean life.

Sea creatures became a constant in Siracusa’s work, eventually leading to her Vitamin Sea series, becoming The Ocean Artist, and creating art for a purpose. Through her oil paintings, Siracusa aims to educate about our oceans, coral reefs, and the sea creatures that call the water home. While No Shoes Reefs has since been disbanded, Siracusa still donates 10% of sales to coastal and reef conservation partner organizations.

She says that while she respects Warhol and many other artists, her style is not influenced by others. An avid SCUBA diver, Siracusa calls her work, Outlander Impressionism, and the sole intent of her art is to bring the viewer under the sea, to let them feel what it is like to be diving a coral reef and then rising to the surface.