Julie Schroeder

Canadian/American Fusion

Livingwatercolours.com

Raised on the outskirts of a Canadian town in the late 50’s, Julie’s love of nature grew as she explored the
surrounding woods, fields, creeks and shorelines, bringing home everything from fossils to tadpoles. Helen and John Albert just smiled and shook their heads as they shared their home with yet another of the local wildlife that regularly arrived.

“The delicious beauty of a wild strawberry, the song of a redwing blackbird and melting spring snow in the mountains still inspire me. I always loved art, and as a teenager did sketches, coloured pencil drawings and using a candle to melt crayons, combined them with leaves, moss, and other natural objects. I fell in love with watercolour in my late teens, and discovered how amazing it is to express nature through this medium”

While completing her B.A in geography, her eyes turned to the Canadian Rocky Mountains. She spent every summer trekking through the meadows and peaks of the alpine country, and her love for nature turned into a passion for the wild places. This is still expressed in her art today. During her college years, she tried parachuting, hang gliding and got her certification 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 a degree in teaching, her first job was with the Inuit in Arctic Canada. The 5 years 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 and the laughter of the Inuit children. The taste of wild arctic char and 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 and of course the mystifying dance of the multicoloured northern lights overhead are memory treasures I will always carry in my heart. The Inuit say that if you whistle at the northern lights, you’ll make them dance-so there we were one night, standing outside at -40 (with most of the village) all looking up at the lights, everyone whistling at the sky.”

It was during one of her summers in the Rocky Mountains of Waterton lakes that she met her husband Dan who shares her love of nature. Now, together with their sons, Michael and David, and their golden retriever, they travel, collect fossils and explore the natural and hidden places together.

Julie has read extensively and taken many workshops. She’s studied under nationally known artists, Karlyn Holman, Jan Foss ,Bob Burridge,, Jan Fabian Wallake, Karen Knuten, Barry Lovegrove, Nita Engle and Tom Lynch,. “I’’ll always be greatful to Jan for all the techniques, encouragement and patience she gave me over the years, and to Karlyn for taking me under her wing and sharing her insights and great passion and joy for creating.”

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 and workshops and is a member of Northstar Watercolor Society and the Minnesota Watercolour Society. She continues to find her inspiration in nature from the cosmic beauty of space to the fragileness of a tiny flower.
Find her teaching videos at brushstrokes.tv and more of her work at livingwatercolours.com

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