A Life in Color and Letters
Julie Mathilde Morrow Deforest began her life in New York City, born to Rev. Cornelius Wortendyke Morrow and Rosalie Lippmann Morrow. Her early years were shaped by academic pursuits, earning a bachelor's degree in English from Wellesley College in 1904 and later a master's degree in literature from Columbia University in 1906. For two decades, she spent her days teaching English at Irving High School and Wadleigh High School within New York City. During these years, painting remained a quiet companion to her classroom duties.
In 1929, her life shifted when she married Cornelius Wortendyke DeForest. This union led her to Cincinnati, Ohio, where the demands of teaching were left behind. In this new setting, she found the space to devote herself fully to her brushes and pigments. Her work took on a specific focus, looking toward the light and color of landscapes.
The Brush and the Landscape
Her approach to the canvas was shaped by the guidance of several instructors, including Jonas Lie, Charles Webster Hawthorne, and John F. Carlson. Through their influence, she developed an impressionist style that favored bright colors. She often looked toward the Western United States for her subjects. After traveling through California and Colorado, her paintings in the 1930s began to capture the ruggedness of the Rocky Mountains.
The textures of her work reflected a deep observation of the natural world:
- Brightly colored impressionist landscapes.
- Studies of the Western US terrain.
- Detailed depictions of the Rocky Mountains.
Later Years and Written Words
As time passed, her focus remained on the visual and the lyrical. In Glendale, Ohio, where she spent her final years, she found a different way to express herself through poetry. At the age of 92, she released a book titled Belfry Chimes and Other Rimes in 1974. This collection of poems showed a continuation of the observant spirit she had applied to her paintings throughout her life.
