Born in Chicago in 1951 and raised mostly on the East Coast, Julie Speed dropped out of art school early. After a period of travel and intermittent employment (house-painter, horse-trainer, waitress, stock boy, farm worker...) she landed in Austin in 1978. Since then she has devoted herself to teaching herself to paint. In her words, “I keep hours just like a real job, only longer, and in my spare time I read books, drink tequila, garden, and drive around West Texas.” In 2006 she moved from Austin to Marfa, where she has a studio downtown. Her work is featured in Julie Speed: Paintings, Constructions, and Works on Paper
and Speed: Art, 2003-2009
; to see more, visit her website.
