Julia Rogers says, “If you’ve ever been to Africa, you are not likely to forget the experience.” And if you’ve never been to Africa, looking at a Rogers painting can almost make you homesick for places you’ve never seen. You can feel the heat, the sand, and the drama of the landscape.

Painting African wildlife is a dream come true, says Rogers, who has been painting and drawing since she was a child. “I always dreamed of going to Africa, and each time I go, as soon as I start home, I think about when I can go back.” Rogers and her husband, fellow wildlife artist Matthew Hillier, have traveled to Africa several times in the last eight years, researching subject matter. In addition to the animals and the landscape, Rogers enjoys interaction with the native people of Africa. “The people, like the landscape, are beautiful,” she says.

Rogers’ mother was an artist, and her father an avid outdoor sportsman. She grew up in Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay. During her childhood, visits to a nine-acre home on one of Maryland’s famous rivers gave her the opportunity to develop her own love of the outdoors. “I spent a lot of time outside swimming in the river and collecting turtles, frogs and rabbits,” Rogers recalls.

Rogers is a member of the Society of Animal Artists and has exhibited in its juried annual exhibitions. She also has been a regular participant in the Southeastern Wildlife Expo, and has exhibited at the Waterfowl Festival of Easton, Maryland. Her work also has been exhibited at Oklahoma’s Gilcrease Museum and at the Blauvelt Museum in Oradell, New Jersey. Her original work hangs in many private collections around the world.

Julia Rogers lives in Maryland with her husband, Matthew, and their children.