Julie Schroeder
Born and raised on the outskirts of Montreal, JULIE SCHROEDER had the opportunity to explore nature.
“The delicious beauty of a wild strawberry, the song of a redwing blackbird and melting spring snow in the mountains still inspire me.” As a teenager in Canada, she did sketches, coloured pencil drawings and using a candle to melt crayons, combined them with leaves, moss, and other natural objects.
“I’ve always had a passion for observing life and living things. When I was young I spent my days exploring all the nearby fields, ponds and streams for the secret life and treasures that lay hidden there. I would come home with a desire to express what I had seen. Using the tools I had available to me I dabbled in mixed media before I understood the term. I was drawn to watercolour in my late teens, and discovered how amazing it is to watch what this medium can do.” Spending summers trekking through the meadows and peaks of the alpine country of the Canadian Rockies, her love for nature turned into a passion for the wild places.
This is still expressed in her art today. As a scuba diver, exploring the ocean with sea turtles, stingrays, sharks and giant manta rays has also been one of her favorite pastimes. After getting her degree at McGill University in teaching, she spent 5 years with the Inuit in Arctic Canada. That time of living with the people of the far north, became one of the most profound experiences in her life.
“I can still hear the Canadian geese as they return in the spring to nest on the tundra, the wind as it howls across the treeless land, the echoing sound of walking across the frozen snow & the laughter of the Inuit children. The taste of wild arctic char & bannok while we ice fished in spring is unforgettable. The blue Hudson Bay ice reflecting into frozen sundogs, the haunting sight of thousands of caribou in the fading arctic light & of course the mystifying dance of the multicoloured northern lights over head are memory treasures always carried in my heart. When I create art, I do it in celebration of the joy and beauty in humanity and nature. I enjoy merging the patterns of nature with aspects of feeling, impression, passion and fantasy.”
“Art for me is expressing the diversity, grace and wonder of our humanness in relationship to the living world. I am motivated to continually reach new levels of expression through my art,oratesdrawing the viewer into a greater awareness of their own connectedness with the living world around them. It’s important to me to create art that speaks about people and nature in an intimate way. My hope is that when people experience my art it takes them on a journey of inner healing and deeper discovery. Through my art, I strive to uplift and encourage people to experience a greater joy and love for others and for the living world that surrounds them. It’s a privilege to be able to share my passion and awe for the incredible beauty and complexity of creation.”
Julie has read extensively, experimented with and taken many workshops in a variety of mediums. She’s studied under nationally & internationally known artists. Julie’s art has moved through different seasons in the 30 years since she bought her 1st set of “real” paints. Her painting approach has developed to a loose and free style, interpreting nature sometimes using collage along with paint.
Julie is teaching classes & workshops & is a member of Northstar Watercolor Society & the Minnesota Watercolor Society. Her main body of
work is shown at Kelley Gallery in Woodbury. She also shows her work at the Deadwood/Lead Center for the Arts in South Dakota as well as other galleries in the U.S. & Canada.
