Born in Boston, and raised in Los Angeles, Julia Marchand developed a passion for travel and an interest in the arts at a young age. By the time she left home for college she had already visited six countries where she, along with her father, two siblings and artist mother visited every museum they could find.
Marchand earned her BA in Art History from American University in Washington DC. During her time in DC she became politically active, lending her considerable energy to a variety of causes including gender equality and animal rights. She was involved in PeTA’s controversial and highly successful “I’d rather go naked than wear fur campaign” and has participated in protests from DC to Moscow, including marching au naturel in Tokyo.
After college, Marchand established a successful commercial photography business shooting portraiture and documenting the LA music scene. Her images were featured in numerous independent and mainstream publications. She also spent time as an “El Vette,” singing back up vocals for El Vez, the Mexican Elvis.
Yearning for a more personal means of creative expression, Marchand applied to, and was accepted by, the Fine Arts program at San Francisco Art Institute where she studied painting and drawing. There she developed her signature multi-layered faux naïve style and found new ways to communicate her concerns for the natural world through painting. She began exhibiting her paintings and works on paper, which have been shown in galleries and museums in London, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco and Mexico City.
While raising her own children, Marchand became aware of her innate ability to develop educational experiences for young learners and help them develop their own artistic talents. She enrolled in Boston University and earned a Master’s degree in Arts Education.
Julia Marchand currently lives in Alameda, CA where she splits her time between teaching, developing educational curriculum and her own active studio practice. She also continues to travel extensively with husband and two children.