Julia Crossland is an artist and illustrator who lives with her partner, daughter, and a house guinea pig called Hazel in a tiny terraced cottage close to the Peak District. She loves drawing, cooking and baking, good coffee, being at the beach, reading novels and books, writing, yoga, walking and hiking, photography, kayaking, star gazing, aromatherapy, sea swimming, islands and autumn. Julia works with watercolour, gouache, and acrylic paint from her garden studio at home in a very illustrative style, mostly from her imagination. "I take advantage of my surroundings as often as possible and enjoy walking and observing the birds and wildlife. Getting out in the elements, noticing the colours and textures, and the changing seasons around me is so inspiring. I use all these influences to create collections of work that convey a sense of story; I love the feelings and emotions that a painting can invoke, and I am conscious that my art positively enhances both home and wellbeing."