Julie Tanner

“I studied pictures of ‘Running Fence’ and liked how the fabric reflected the light and blew with the wind,” says Julie Tanner, “and I made art works that emulate that kind of feel. It really is a cool fabric.” Tanner has masterfully incorporated movement and shifting light into her unique art pieces. A multi-talented, mixed media artist living in Morgan Hill, California, Julie Tanner is at home behind the sewing machine as she is with a soldering iron. Her background involves fashion design, costuming, historical garment recreations, millinery, silk painting and wearable art. Her expertise also includes stained glass, metal and wire art, beading and jewelry. Her pieces range from the simple and elegant to the fairly large, and from formal to whimsical. Pieced and painted jackets, painted scarves and shawls, multi-textured vests and garments of all types are in her portfolio.

Beauty pageant contestants, re-enactors of all eras, and the San Jose Civic Light Opera are among Tanner’s clients. For several years she managed Vintage Reflections, San Jose Historical Museum’s costume shop, where she taught a variety of costuming classes. At the 2002 Witches Ball, her costumes won both Best of Theme and Best of Show. Her works have been shown and sold in several small galleries and shops throughout the San Francisco Bay area and her hats have been featured in local stage productions.