About
Julie Shelton Smith was born and raised in Texas. After receiving a BFA from the University of Texas, she moved to Aspen, CO where she attended the Center of the Eye School of Photography. After five years, she relocated permanently to the East Coast. In 1993, she received her MFA with Honors in Painting and Printmaking from Rhode Island School of Design.
Julie Shelton Smith
Smith has exhibited and lectured widely in the New England area. She has taught in the Continuing Education Department at Rhode Island School of Design, School One in Providence and St. George’s School in Middletown, RI, as well as Ah Haa School for the Arts in Telluride, CO.
In 2008, Smith began a painting project called, “100 Women Over 50” in reaction to the invisibility of post-menopausal women in a youth obsessed culture. She felt that older women had too much experience and too much to say about life not be heard and seen. Parts of the project have been shown at Caplow Framing, Minneapolis, MN, TNC Gallery, NY, NY, Ah Haa School for the Arts, Telluride, CO, and the Newport, Museum of Art, Newport, RI.
All 100 were shown at the Jamestown Art Center, Jamestown, RI in 2013. Smith found she was only getting started. It was just too interesting getting to know these women and learn their stories so she is continuing to paint women over 50. At this time the paintings number 137.
In 2000, Smith was awarded Best In Show by the Newport Art Museum for the Member’s Juried Exhibition.
Past Exhibits at Four Eleven Gallery
October 2017: The Thinnest Veil: Psychology of the Figure, Group Show
October 2018: Going Within: Art Of Our Interiors, Group Show
June 2018: Breaking Open, Giving Way, Group Show
June 2019: New And Old Friends, Early Summer Work, Group Show
August 2020: Four Eleven Gallery Group Show, Group Show
August 2020: Rhythm, Solo Show
September 2021: A Riot Of Color And Shape, Solo Show
August 2021: Portrait/Self-Portrait, Group Show
September 2022: The Accidental Breakthrough, Solo Show
June 2023: Times Three, Julie Smith + Caroline Carney + Lisa Farnsworth
May 2024: Welcome Home, Group Show
July 2024: Gardening At Night, Julie Smith + Janine Evers + Lisa Farnsworth
May 2025: Welcome Home, Group Show
June 2025: Solstice Light, Group Show
September 2025: Julie Smith + Janine Evers + Cid Bolduc
Past Exhibits of Women Over 50
2008 Jane Westerlund Frame Shop
2009 AhHaa School for the Arts
2010 Studio Exhibition at Webster Street Gallery
2013 Jamestown Art Center
2023 Provincetown Commons Art Space
2024 St. George’s School, Middletown, RI
Exhibited & Represented
Her work is represented by Four Eleven Gallery and Jessica Hagen Gallery. Visit the galleries below to explore current and past works and learn more about their programs.
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Four Eleven Gallery presents contemporary Provincetown artists with a focus on strong material practice and conceptual depth. The gallery fosters close relationships between artists and collectors while supporting work that is both rigorous and deeply human.
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Jessica Hagen Gallery is known for its curated exhibitions of emerging and mid-career artists, emphasizing narrative, identity, and personal history. The gallery creates space for intimate, thoughtful engagement with contemporary art.