Hello, Friends!

The fall color here in Wisconsin has already been amazing and is completely inspiring the new collection of paintings I’ve been working on.

We live in the middle of a 10-acre forest, surrounded by the tallest oaks and pine trees. The leaves are just starting to turn orange, golden, and red. While I love summer, this time of year is the perfect time to open the studio doors and paint outside. There’s so much color inspiration and amazing light.

So, of course, I’ve been getting out my watercolors and painting in my sketchbook – it’s all about play, which helps me let go so I can keep my paintings loose.

After a few beautiful mistakes and a little loosening up with color, my creativity blooms just like the flowers in my garden.

It always seems that whenever I allow myself to have fun, my paintings come to life.

Sometimes all I need is to get out of my comfort zone and start having fun again so I can stop thinking so much and really get into a flow.

That’s when a whole new world opens up and creativity is set free.

When I first started painting, all of my early paintings ended up in the basement or trash 😂

I never thought anyone would want to see my artwork. I was working a draining day-job as an editorial assistant at a newspaper and I thought, “Does it even matter if I paint?”

It hurt my heart to not create, yet I buried my desire and, for years, I stopped painting.

But I learned I couldn’t not be an artist. I had to create.

Now I’ve been a full-time artist for fifteen years.

It all started when I lost my job in 2009. To heal my spirit, I started painting again.

As friends stopped by and saw my work, they encouraged me to have a local show. I asked at the library and in a few months hung my paintings and hosted an opening. I began selling my artwork, prints and cards to friends and family. I started a facebook page, twitter account and a blog. I felt like there was no way anyone I didn’t know would ever purchase my paintings. Then I began reaching out to other artists and makers and in 2011 I submitted my artwork to a magazine and launched my first online class, How To Paint An Owl.

That’s what began my online courses and whimsical paintings and life as a professional artist.

It has led to thousands of collectors, customers and students around the world, being published in multiple books, having five books of my own on Amazon, launching multiple online classes, opportunities to teach in-person and sales of originals, prints, cards, calendars, books and more in galleries and shops around the world.

It’s taken a lot of paintings and mistakes to develop my style, let go and be loose in my art. But learning to paint whimsically and find your artistic voice are completely do-able.

I always share what I’ve learned and what’s worked for me, in the hope that it’ll help you be more productive and develop your own style faster.

My hope is that in sharing my process and artist’s journey, you feel more connected and supported as you create, so you can learn to let go, loosen up in your art, and love what you paint.

The invitation is to slow down, take a breath and get calm. Take your sketchbook and paint a few watercolors of your own ❤️

If you want to explore more with painting, you might enjoy my new mini course Watercolor Joy, a self-paced online class with six projects you can do when you don’t feel like you have time to paint. It will help you let go, play, and be loose in your art.

Just get out your sketchbook, some watercolors, and let’s paint!

I’d be honored to have you join us in class and in our private community. As always, I’m happy to answer questions about this class…

With love + gratitude,
xo Juliette