About Botanicals By Jules

Julia Hays graduated from a Waldorf school in 1973. She completed Harvard with honors in English, and produced a summa thesis on the opera Gertrude Stein wrote with Virgil Thomson, Four Saints in Three Acts. Over the next four decades, she worked as the Director of Development for the National Theatre of the Deaf (NTD), as a fundraiser and admissions director at several schools. She also worked as the Upper School Chair at the Rudolf Steiner School, where she taught American Sign Language. At the age of 50, she began to draw, and over the last decade has taken up the study of Botanicals as a serious interest. She credits her artistic talents to her father, David Hays, founder of the NTD, and a set and lighting designer for over 100 Broadway shows and ballets. 

Each drawing is created by Julia with pen and colored pencils, then copied onto a blank white greeting card. The images are inspired by nature, photographs, and impressions of intricate botanicals from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Accompanying each card is a heavy-weight, 5" x 7" euro-flap envelope. The velum liner, Julia's own creation, is a delicate drawing of leaves, designed to complement the blank greeting cards. Jules believes the envelopes are more appealing in color. However, if you prefer white that can be arranged as well.