Exciting News / Grounding in the Present

Hello Art friends!
 
It’s finally spring. Almost! My bulbs are coming up and I have no memory of what I planted. But hey, it’s okay, I’ve been busy! I have such an exciting project to announce – it feels like my third child (see below for details) even though it’s inanimate.
 
Okay, so I know I write about this a lot, but if you read the news, the world feels very scary right now. I was reading “Florida” by Lauren Groff and she had this quote about a mother looking at her young sons: “Her sons have known only luck so far, though suffering will surely come for them. She feels it nearing, the midnight of humanity.” Dark. And yeah, I feel this way sometimes. It’s why I paint. It’s why I paint what I paint. Here in the US, we are going into what’s going to be a super negative and dirty election season (among other global conflicts and issues) and that feels both exhausting and scary.
 
What keeps me grounded is the present. My girls. My bulbs. My paint. Taylor Swift’s Exile. The Magnetic Fields’ The Book of Love. Going on walks with my girlfriends.

Aaaanddd completing the final stages of my first children’s book! It’s simple line drawings about little creatures who take the time to just breathe and do things ‘just because’ without some goal/end/purpose. They are very different from me but I aspire to be like them! And my paintings are everywhere throughout this book. And my silly little thoughts. More details to come in April as I work out specifics with my publisher! But there will be a pre-sale, and it will be awesome, and I have worked harder on this book than anything in a very long time. And, how often do we say this as adults? I am proud. I am just so proud of it.

​Henri Matisse said “art is an escape from reality” but wouldn’t it be great if art just reminded us to shift our reality to the now? To stop worrying about what could happen and instead focus on the small and the beautiful? I need to do this as much as anyone! But here’s to trying. Reading this book – my book! – should help :)
 
Oh! And for the next two weeks my site is taking credit cards for smaller pieces! You can see them below. After ordering you can contact me directly about framing (which I offer) and shipping options.
 
As ever – thank you to those who read this! And to those who read this and respond! Very kind of you.
 
Much love,
Julia 

​A Collection of Recent Works

See something you love in this series? Prices range from $900 to $2,600 (note: I also offer payment plans for pieces!). You can click each piece to purchase them directly on my website for a limited time!