Julie‑Anne Richmond is an artist whose work is a form of communication and self-expression which has always helped her navigate and interpret the world around her.

Artistic expression is the bedrock of her mental wellbeing, and she helps others use art to access that expression for themselves.

Born in Tyrone and now based in North Antrim, Julie‑Anne studied Fine and Applied Art at Ulster University (formerly the Belfast School of Art), graduating in 2007 with a specialism in painting and installation.

From the very beginning, art has been Julie‑Anne’s primary language. Some of her earliest memories were of her small artist’s bench at home, gifted by her parents. As a child, she often communicated through drawing rather than words; a pattern that continues today.

Each painting becomes what she describes as a “snapshot of where I am at that moment,” an honest visual record of emotion, resilience and reflection.

While her professional artistic career has grown internationally, Julie‑Anne’s practice remains deeply rooted in community, connection, and mental wellbeing.

Art as Communication, Refuge and Resilience

Julie‑Anne’s path into full‑time art was never planned. After initially training as a teacher and working extensively in youth and community settings across Belfast, she witnessed firsthand the weight carried by both children and adults experiencing mental health challenges, anxiety, and trauma. In many of these environments, art quietly opened doors.

Through murals, community projects, workshops, face painting, and creative sessions for women and children, Julie‑Anne created spaces where people could begin to process what they were carrying, even when words felt inaccessible. These experiences reinforced what she had always known instinctively: that creativity can unlock conversation, offer relief, and help people feel seen.

“Art isn’t just my work,” she explains. “It’s my refuge.”

Her time in community work shaped not only her career but her understanding of resilience and the responsibility that comes with using creative practice as a tool for connection and healing.

Featured Artwork: Refuge
Minimum bid: £4,950
Limited edition: one-off original

• Original painting, acrylic on canvas with palette knife, UV varnished
• 70 × 70 cm, unframed, ready to hang

The painting “Refuge” explores “settling the noise of life to find peace and perspective.”

The piece explores the journey to find a place of contentment with an honesty about the barriers we must clamber over to find a path or space to embrace it. For Julie‑Anne, the mountains symbolise this journey.

“There is something special about the preparation to meet the mountain.” explains Julie-Anne, “The mental focus of the climb, the push of your body, the internal pep talk, the wind in your face that scatters every thought and the reveal of nature’s perfect canvas when you reach the top…

…it’s in that moment you find freedom to immerse in beauty, the ability to control and feel your every breath, you give yourself time to allow your senses to sing and there is release!

Able to be still, able to be at rest, able to outwork the smile within.”

Walking in the Mournes or along the North Antrim coast, she resonates with the physical exertion of the walk and the mental resilience required to keep going. The ascent mirrors life: preparation, doubt, perseverance, and the promise of something extraordinary just beyond sight. It is in that stillness, after effort, that Refuge lives.

Refuge is an exclusive original work donated to The Smile Within.

No prints of Julie‑Anne’s work are ever made, making each piece unique.

Practice, Place, and Presence

Julie‑Anne works primarily in oil and acrylic, embracing scale, texture, and expressive mark‑making using anything from palette knives and decorators’ brushes to her hands.

Living just moments from the Causeway Coast and Glens provides constant inspiration, yet she intentionally challenges the familiar by introducing man‑made elements, offering subtle commentary on modern life and internal experience.

She frequently paints en plein air, allowing Ireland’s shifting weather, wind, and light to become collaborators in the process. Her work carries echoes of the Impressionists, the expressive colour of Jack B. Yeats, and the emotional luminosity of Turner. Whether working in landscape, still life, or portraiture, Julie‑Anne’s paintings are unmistakably alive; intense, gestural, and emotionally honest.

Community Impact and Recognition

Over the past decade, Julie‑Anne’s work has been collected internationally.

Notable commissions include:

• Samson and Goliath, selected for TG4’s 2020 awards promotion
• Original Belfast scenes commissioned by ITV and Netflix for the crime drama Marcella (Season 3), now permanently displayed in family meeting spaces

Despite this recognition, her practice remains grounded in purpose. Her art grows from her own space, supported by local galleries, but always returning to the same intention: connection, reflection, and care for mental wellbeing.

A Life Shaped by Creativity

Julie‑Anne continues to work with schools, workshops, and community groups, using her experience to create environments where creativity becomes a gateway to expression, resilience, and support. Art has allowed her to navigate life’s challenges, process emotions both high and low, and help others do the same. In Refuge, that journey is made visible. A reminder that peace is not the absence of struggle, but something earned through perseverance.

More about Julie-Anne

Julie‑Anne Richmond has one original work featured in The Smile Within exhibition.

You can find out more about her by connecting to her social media channels or visiting her website.

**Bidding for artwork will be open from 1^st May 2026.

The link to the bidding website will be open and shared on that date**

Follow the BDA Benevolent Fund social channels for notification.

Meet the other Artists

Below is a selection of other featured artists. Click on the links to see their artwork submissions, each deeply connected to mindfulness and mental wellbeing.

Join us at The Smile Within art exhibition in May and make a difference, one pledge, one piece of art, one smile at a time.

We look forward to seeing you there.

An online bidding site is now live. You can bid on artwork online, as well as at the event.

Online bidding ends at 3:45 pm on 16 May. The winning bidder can collect their artwork on Saturday, 16 May, from the stand after 4pm. If you (or a trusted friend) are unable to take your piece with you, we’re happy to arrange delivery. Please note that postage and packaging costs will be added and confirmed after purchase.