Happy Halloween! This cat mask makes a great last minute Halloween costume. Watch the video for the how-to: May your evening be filled with candy and laughter! Read more →

Happy October! We have had some wild weather around here with a few days in the 70s and 80s. But Boston has come back to its senses and it's rainy and cold again. Family News Today is my 1st wedding anniversary! In all the best ways, it feels like Steve and I have been married forever. I am so grateful to have found a second chance at love with such a sweet and kind partner. Work News I'm currently participating in a critique group run by the Cambridge Art Association. I'm doing my best to take advantage of the situation... Read more →

I have finally found the words for what I'm doing this month: improvisational printmaking. In case you don't know, this month's #PrintInktober2023 manifesto is to see how many different ways I can use the Bauhaus Set I designed for Art Foamies. Normally, printmaking involves a lot of planning and set up. But these prints I'm making are built layer-by-layer without envisioning a final outcome. Instead, I'm very much in the moment, making decisions as the print develops. Usually I come to the table with a single idea such as: use triangles. And then I respond to the piece as it... Read more →

Hello! My son had a birthday party about a month before his actual birthday because he is a Thanksgiving baby. And, as you know, everyone is busy with their families at Thanksgiving. So we teamed up with some friends who are all turning 4 this Fall and had a joint birthday party that his entire preschool class was invited to. I made him two things for the party: a birthday shirt... ...and a cake (kind of). I didn't bake it. Rather, I took a supermarket cake and did a mini makeover on it. Today I'm sharing a video detailing the... Read more →

At first glance, you may think that the title of this post, "Why is Creative Block," is either a grammatical error or an unfinished sentence. But perhaps it's simply a new and different way of looking at the same old problem. I'm sure you know what creative block is. It's possible that you also know yourself well enough to know why creative block happens to you. And you might have developed some solid strategies for breaking through creative block, such as: Look for inspiration: Watch YouTube videos for inspiration. Look at art technique books. Search Pinterest. Look at blogs. Take... Read more →

I'm currently participating in a critique group and we had to introduce ourselves to each other with a short (5 minute) personal history. I thought you might be interested to see mine: I hope you feel you know me a bit better after watching that. I'm going to encourage you to make your own version -- even if it's not a video. Maybe a social media post? Or simply a presentation for your family and friends? It could be the basis of an artist talk too! The point of an exercise like this is to force you to think about... Read more →

My current #PrintInktober project is to use my Art Foamies Bauhaus Set... ...for all 31 of my prints. I've set some parameters for myself, such as: I don't have to use all the Bauhaus stamps in every print. I can use other stamps/stencils in the prints. I will use 9x12 paper for all the prints. I will use acrylic paint for all of the prints. I will put all of the prints up for sale. I'm not using any prompts for my prints. I will share a process video for every single print on instagram. Here are days 9-15: Something... Read more →

I'm so pleased to share that I was the guest on Kellee Wynne's most recent episode of the Made Remarkable Podcast. You can listen to our conversation below: This is what Kellee wrote about our conversation: Julie shows us that achieving greatness in both art and motherhood is possible through love, perseverance, and a dash of humor. She shares her insights on the importance of passive income and the need for alternative revenue streams for solopreneurs. From royalties to affiliate fees, and teaching fees to artwork sales, Julie delves into the various avenues she has explored to support her business... Read more →

Artists, like me, have long loved Golden's Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold for several reasons: Vibrancy: Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold is known for its vibrant and intense hue. It has a rich warm tone that can add a brilliant pop of color to artwork. Transparency: It can be layered over other colors or used as a glaze to create luminous effects and depth in paintings. I love that it doesn't cover up what's underneath, but instead seems to highlight it. Mixing Properties: Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold is particularly useful for mixing various shades of oranges, browns, and earthy tones. It's a... Read more →

My current #PrintInktober project is a riff on my unfinished 2020 #PrintInktober project. Back in 2020, I wanted to use the same set of hand carved stamps for all 31 of my prints. So this year, I'm trying it again (going to finish this time!), but with my Art Foamies Bauhaus Set... ...as the stamps I'm using. Here are my first eight prints: A few notes: You can see that I allowed some additional stamps (and one stencil) to enter into the prints. Each of the original one-of-a-kind prints I make this month is available for purchase! $65 (free shipping... Read more →