Julian Renouf

Julian joined Chelsea School of Art in 1981 for a Foundation course where he was introduced to the burnt paper technique by Una Woodruff. He went to Winchester School of Art where Clyde Hopkins, Vanessa Jackson and Stephen Cooper encouraged him to loosen his brushstrokes inspired by the work of Phillip Guston. However, Julian preferred to paint still lifes in the style of Zurbarán and so left after the first year thinking that he could be an artist without having to attend art school. He moved to London where he continued painting, burning paper, painting murals and marbleizing with Jocasta Innes.

From 1985 to 1990, Julian had several sell-out exhibitions in London. He undertook commissions to decorate houses in London. In 1991, he married and moved to the Touraine in France for the next 10 years, where he restored his house to its former glory and rediscovered his love of painting inspired by the French countryside. Julian enjoyed teaching art to adults and children of his village, improving his French and creating sets for school plays.