Julie’s Approach
People spend so much effort doing “everything right”. They lock up their inner voice.
But Julie wants to create from true emotions and let it all flow naturally. Her aim is to directly transfer short-term emotions and long-lasting moods to the canvas in an intuitive way. By combining different painting techniques and her own inspirations, she works organically.
She imagines a whole path, then focuses only on the next step to paint spontaneously. After each move, she makes a new decision and follows her intuitions. Julie visualizes her thoughts and depicts them in the painting.
“To me, painting is like a fairytale adventure. As you paint, you face various challenges. Your fairytale might lead you to fight a dragon, while heroically saving a princess from danger. Through the forest, across the desert, over the sea, until you finally reach the magic castle and the happy ending – a bright and colorful fairytale on a canvas. Then the next story is waiting to be told.”
On the surface, we seem to be controlled by our rationality. We want to have a plan for our lives, careers, and children. But we are humans, and we are guided by our emotions as well. When we make determinations only with our rational minds, over time, we often feel unfulfilled because we have forgotten to listen to our hearts.
We learn to be rational at school; however, the earliest days of our lives start with emotions. We need to respect this part of nature and remain true to ourselves by embracing our individuality.
Everyone sees something different in Julie’s art. That’s one reason for her work: offering the possibility to discover one’s own meaning in it. This depends on our personal history, our current mood, or our particular desires. Art is always subjective, and what one sees and feels in an artwork can change. Julie prefers to keep her paintings untitled to encourage other interpretations by the viewers. Titles are only to distinguish paintings from each other.
“Painting is like traveling without a guide – without even a reservation.”
I invite you to explore my art for yourself!
Julie Bauer
Vita Julie Bauer
Julie Bauer is an artist, writer, kindergarten and preschool educator, German language teacher, mother of three adult children, and life coach, whose work is deeply influenced by her diverse and global life experiences.
Born in Munich, Germany, Julie was shaped by the richness of European culture.
After working in children’s homes with young people from troubled families and earning her teacher certification, Julie served as a kindergarten and preschool principal for many years, while raising her own three children.
Moving to Shanghai, China, in 2010, and traveling throughout Australia, Thailand, Dubai, and Cambodia, Julie experienced Chinese and Aboriginal art firsthand. To students, she taught the “Painting without brushes” series at numerous group workshops.
During this time, Julie had solo exhibitions at Xindanwei Shanghai and Sofitel Shanghai Sheshan Oriental Hotel.
In 2014, she was coaching Sprouts NGO to enhance arts education in rural China, including documentaries and crowd painting.
In 2014 – 2015, she worked with students with behavior issues and special needs one-on-one and for the Essential Learning Group School.
After living in Shanghai, China, for five years, she and her family moved to the United States in 2016.
In Tennessee, Julie began as a German teacher for a language school and a supplier company of Volkswagen. She also did art classes and had multiple exhibitions in the Reflection Gallery and AVA Art Gallery.
In 2019, she settled in Southern California, teaching German for several language schools and Global LT, and exhibited her artworks at galleries in Laguna Beach.
In 2025, Julie published her first book, “The Last Christmas Tree,” and has continued writing books in English and books in German for children and their families. Her approach to life is to grow with kindness and confidence in view of ethical values and empathy – for a better world and a happy self.