Discover a lifetime of art shaped by nature, light, and lived experience.

Artist Julie Joy Painting Presence and Light

Discover a lifetime of art shaped by nature, light, and lived experience.

Artist Julie Joy Painting Presence and Light

Julie Joy's Artistic Journey

I have been an artist for as long as I can remember. I quite literally grew up in an artists, studio, surrounded by paint, texture and creative devotion. My mother longed to attend art school, but at the time her parents would only allow her to pursue beautician school. As a devoted wife and mother of five she found her way back to art by weaving creativity into everyday life. She painted on weathered barnwood, small pieces of slate and whatever materials nature offered. Covered bridges, flowers, raccoons perched in trees often incorporating parts of the wood itself into the composition, came alive under her hands.

Watching her create shaped me deeply. Her art wasn’t just something she did, It was something she lived. That foundation stayed with me.

In my 30s I began selling my own work at art fairs, sharing pieces inspired by light nature and lived experience.

As the market shifted and art sales became more difficult I stepped away from fairs for many years, though I never stopped creating. During that time, I focused on art licensing, and my work found homes far beyond my own walls.

Today my art can be found through national retailers such as Wayfair and art.com simply by searching my name. Life continued to unfold alongside my creative journey. I raised my three children in the Indianapolis area where they later attended ball State university and Purdue university. They eventually settled in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and after my divorce, I relocated to live close to them.

Over the years, Fort Wayne has become home to me. I’ve come to love it’s creativity, character and sense of community. I’m grateful to now call myself a grandmother. A role that has added even more depth and joy to my life. Balancing creativity with practicality, I spent many years working in and managing a financial advisor‘s office. Still art remained my constant.

Fort Wayne’s vibrant art scene has welcomed me back to art fairs, including the Covington art fair Lake Winona art fair and others in the region.

I work primarily and acrylic and oil painting in an impressionist style. Painting for me is a spiritual experience. When I am outdoors, immersed in nature, light and movement, it becomes a grounding healing practice.

I strive to translate that presence onto the canvas, capturing flickering light shifting shadows, and the quiet beauty of the moment. Creativity is my passion and my way of being in the world beyond painting.

I express myself through journaling, drawing writing books and cultivating meaningful relationships. Art is not separate from my life. It is my life woven through who I am and how I connect with others.