Base Pair paintingBrush with Science Logo

...Julie Newdoll merges life science and culture, myths and molecules in her paintings,
music, journal covers and science games.

In painting, science, and music, my work has always been somewhere at the intersection of these disciplines. Through collaboration with scientists and exhaustive research, I distill the true essence of a concept and use this as inspiration, or structure, on which to compose my paintings, art, or music. This makes my work difficult to classify, but always intriguing and engaging for those who encounter it. I am fascinated by science, molecular biology in particular, and it has informed many of my paintings and compositions. My aesthetic draws me towards the surreal and some discord, but always beautiful, much like an aging plaster wall can be beautiful, in those places where reality ends and something more etherial begins.

All of my work comes from a place of true inspiration, originally driven by my desire to understand deep concepts in science and paint the beautiful scientific imagery I was exposed to during my time in a research laboratory at the University of California in San Francisco. My musical compositions were more from inexplicable bolts of insight, including fully formed orchestrations of original compositions that arrive after a night of dreaming, a walk, or sometimes the simple act of playing scales or chords on the piano. Ultimately, I merged the two passions in my first digitally performed release, Journey to Neon, a symphonic suite where the moods and rhythms are inspired by the chemical properties of the first ten elements. The style of this album might be called Neoclassical. No matter the inspiration, all my compositions are very visual, lending themselves well to a story or series of pieces, full of rich and beautiful harmonies with occasional meandering into a realm with a more jazzy feel.

My search for the perfect metaphor paved the way to expand my work beyond science and into story, making my body of work an amalgam of visual imagery and soundscapes that are driving a desire to write musicals. I have been told I have a way with lyrics, and when I get the chance, I include them in my work. Another project I am working on is a series of books which will contain the scores alongside paintings about each score, revealing a bit of what I saw in my mind's eye when creating the music. Every client I have done paintings for, all the people I have shared my music with, have expressed that it was unique and wonderful in a way they thought would not exist, and they are so happy they found my work!