I’m so excited to share my conversation with Juliet Gilden. Juliet is a passionate post 50 female artist. You’ll see what I mean when you view her paintings.
Her paintings make me smile and I think they will make you smile too. Plus, I’m beyond thrilled that Juliet has agreed to offer a giveaway for one of her prints. Be sure to read all the way to the end and enter this fantastic giveaway.
As she says, “It’s my destiny to speak to all women through my paintings. With optimism, humor, and a bit of firsthand knowledge, I capture the experiences that make us feel happy, confident, and loved – and the ones that are nearly impossible to understand.” Like her mother, she believes that “women and dogs rule the world” It’s so empowering. I think I agree with Juliet and her mom. It’s this philosophy (and her captivating paintings) that made me want to learn more about Juliet and share her story with others.
My fav actress Audrey Hepburn
A Passionate Painter
Juliet paints mainly women with themes such as love, zodiacs, yoga, beauty, beach, and more. She also creates portraits of iconic figures and current events. Her portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg was featured in The Washington Post shortly after her death and in her recent editorial paintings she has highlighted women and the pandemic.
Juliet sells copies of her paintings on her website and does custom work for those who commission her. Some images are available on printed and hand painted bags. There’s even a tarot card deck. Her paintings make great holiday or birthday gifts for females young and old.
Let’s hear more from Juliet…
Juliet Gilden is a post 50 female artist and painter
Tell me about your background, have you always enjoyed painting?
Juliet: “I grew up in a creative family. My mother was an artist and my father had studied acting and spent about 10 years in New York city doing acting work in theaters. Once my parents married, they left NYC, came back to Baltimore, MD and opened an art gallery together. They ran the gallery for over 45 years. I spent my childhood in that gallery, meeting artists from all over the world and going to art galleries and museums with my mother. We talked about art as a family and just about anything creative – great books, plays, art and music.
I loved drawing and painting and making collages ever since I can remember. And when I was 7 years old, my mother displayed some of my collages in her art gallery and actually ended up selling them to an interior decorator. It was my first sale!”
How did you turn your passion for painting into a business?
Juliet: “It was not until my sophomore year in college that I realized I wanted to study painting. Once I graduated college, I briefly tried to sell my artwork instead of getting a full-time job in an office. But, after a short time, a friend asked me if I wanted a part time job. I took it for extra money and it quickly turned into a full-time job. Before I knew it, I was a part of the regular office workforce and my dreams of making it as an independent artist were put on hold.
A few years ago, a lot of big changes happened in my life without me planning for them to happen. These changes slowly opened up my eyes to the fact that I was not following my professional passions in life. And it was then that I decided I would try to make my living and my day to day life all about art. I started by posting my artwork on Instagram and Facebook and by making sure to paint every day.”
My two loves – yoga on the beach
You have an interesting philosophy about your art. Can you explain those BIG EYES on your bodies?
You mentioned that your painting of Ruth Bader Ginsberg appeared in The Washington Post after she passed away. Have you always painted iconic women? Who are your favorites?
Juliet: “I have always painted women. Sometimes the people I choose to paint are purely imaginative, sometimes they are combinations of people I know in everyday life, at times they are people I admire and also people in the public eye that I’ve never met but that I am enamoured of for one reason or another. I especially like the painting that I did of Hattie McDaniel. I was really trying to capture the pride she must have felt on the night she won the Oscar combined with the disappointment she surely must have felt as well due to the racial rules and perspectives that were going on in the country at the time.”
The iconic collection features Hattie McDaniel and her Oscar
What other themes do you like to paint?
How can people purchase your artwork?
Juliet: “People can purchase my work at https://www.julietspaintings.com. Also, people can email me at julietspaintings@gmail.com.”
Anything else you would like to add about being a post 50 female artist or suggestions for other post 50 female artists who want to start a business?
A best-ever giveaway for one of Juliet’s prints
As I mentioned, Juliet has agreed to collaborate on a giveaway for one of her 8×10-inch prints. The winner can choose whichever image she would like for the giveaway! To enter, leave a comment about what creative activity brings you joy during your life after 50 and/or enter the Rafflecopter below. (The giveaway is open to USA residents only.)
Ooh, ooh, ooh, if I had to pick a Juliet print it would be so hard to decide. I love them all. Ooh, ooh, ooh, I think I would have to choose one of my fav actress, Audrey Hepburn. Ooh, ooh, ooh, the yoga print is also a fav.
As a writer (over 50), I have no doubt that one’s best creative years begin later in life. Whatever your creative pursuit — whether a painter like Juliet, a musician, actor, dancer, photographer, sculptor, or writer — you’ll find that life experiences, especially the most painful ones, create a stronger sense of empathy and passion that will pour into your art. As for me, I’ve pursued a screenwriting career since college — and I sold several scripts that were never produced. Only after a battle with cancer after hitting 55 did I really get it — and now I’ve had three produced movies and one more to come very soon. I’ve come to realize that pre-cancer I was mainly seeking validation in my work, which was a rather hollow motive. But post-cancer it’s all about inspiring others with my own story and in the stories I tell. Simply put, becoming a better person makes you a better artist — and both take time.
Larry, congrats on your movies. Sorry to hear you had cancer, but sounds like you came through okay and maybe are in a better mindset. My cancer also made me realize that life is worth living, especially in the moment.
Juliet’s artistic style is so unique. The creative activity that brings me joy is dance. I stated taking ballet classes as a child and continued with ballet, jazz and modern dance classes into adulthood. I currently enjoy “Gabriella’s Dance Workout” virtual class targeted for people 50+ from Martin Center for Dance: https://martinbartonarts.com/class-schedule/ Gabriella explains the class and shows a few moves in this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m0m8zM4fHI
Debbie, how wonderful to find dance as your creative outlet. I look forward to checking out the YouTube videos.
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