Julie Wolk

Julie Wolk

Acrylic & Mixed Media – Chapel Hill

This is one in a series of posts about artists in the Orange County Artists Guild.

What is your medium? Why do you love it?

Although I have worked in almost every 2D medium, I focus on acrylics and mixed media because it offers me the best of all worlds – immediacy, flexibility, joy, angst, creative exploration with tools, and (most importantly) unexpected surprises. Besides, watercolor makes me cuss like a sailor because it is so unforgiving. Oils…oils…oils… as Miranda Priestly said, “By all means, move at a glacial pace.”

Pick one of your pieces and tell us how it came into being.

At the end of August in 2025, I lost my father after a painful month in hospice. He was a complicated man and I had a complicated childhood. The week after his passing, I was in the hurricane of grief and decided to take it to the canvas. What emerged was a self portrait of my grief, which I titled “What Never Was” (below). That painting sparked the genesis idea for what is now my Crazy Sisterhood series that is in ongoing development. This series of abstract women’s faces mirrors all the joy, pain, absurdity, humor and curiosity we face in life. These sisters are taking on a life of their own. I can’t wait to see who emerges next.

Do you work with unusual materials?

The beauty of being a mixed media artist is that anything and everything is fair game. As a nature girl, I am always on the hunt for interesting leaves, twigs, shells, rocks, feathers, and the like. My husband, who is the cook in our family (bless his heart), has learned to carefully hoard interesting kitchen gadgets lest I steal them for interesting mark making. And at least once a quarter, you’ll find me at Scrap Exchange, hunting through odd things like a caffeinated squirrel searching for nuts.

Did you have a “gateway craft” that you did as a child?
How did it lead you into your current art?

From a very young age, I was obsessed with color. There was no greater joy that being gifted a fresh box of Crayola crayons. I remember one year when Santa Claus left me 64-color pack that also had – wait for it – a sharpener. Who knew all those colors actually existed?!? I almost internally combusted on the spot with so much joy. In junior high, sporting zits and crooked glasses, my favorite class was art. I wanted nothing more than to spend all day in that studio. The smells! The freedom! The joy and rapture!

Growing up, my parents bandied about my emerging art passion and talent as if it were their prize-winning bass. Well, until I began applying for college and they stopped being amused. We came to a compromise: a dual focus of study. So I went to UNC Chapel Hill and majored in Journalism/Advertising alongside a concentration in Fine Art. Upon graduation, and with a stern expectation to get off their payroll, I feel headlong into advertising, marketing and brand. Color – especially the psychology of color – is such a big part of that type of work and I loved it. Although I wasn’t living my dream of being a full-time artist, I was very fortunate to build an adjacent, fulfilling career.

Tell us about your work space.

It is “intimate” in the best possible way, with large windows that face a forest. It is my laboratory, my muse and my sanctuary.

Do you work in a sketchbook or journal?

My sketchbook is used to test color palettes and record my “a-has” as I learn from my trusted mentors and explore in real-time during my painting process. My journal is really more of a written experience where I whine, kvetch, dream, create, and exorcise my inner critic, whose name is Eunice. Eunice chain smokes and likes to flick her ashes all over my journal pages and my art while she acidly critiques what is happening in real time.

Describe your process.

I always start my paintings in a very woo-woo way (don’t judge.) First, I light some palo santos and bless the blank canvas with good juju. Then, I write on the canvas – a quote, positive message or words that bring high vibe and good energy. This ritual signals to my brain that it is okay for my left brain to gear down and let my right brain come out and play.

I spend as much time as possible in building layers and shapes through intuitive play. Texture is a key element of my art, and it takes time to build the level of depth and complexity that I use as my foundation. As I play, I begin to see what starts to vibrate with aliveness on the canvas and then lean into what colors and shapes begin to suggest a story or direction.

When I get to the “messy middle,” I’m usually a hot mess myself. Eunice (my pesky inner critic that I mentioned earlier), usually decides to sashay out of the shadows and begin to hurl opinions like drunken game of Corn Hole. Here… here… is where I begin to wonder if I’d better served if I find an alternate career. But, thankfully, I have an incredibly supportive tribe of artist friends and mentors who talk me off the ledge. I then straighten my crown and get back to work. Trusting the process at this point is not for the faint of heart.

But, when I keep going, stay present and just keep putting brush to canvas, eventually I see they painting come together. And there is no greater magic than when you step back, see what you have created, and feel your heart crack open with wonder and delight.

Do you have formal training in your medium?

Upon graduation, I ended up choosing a career path focused on advertising, marketing and brand. I worked for years in graphic design, creative direction, copywriting and the like – eventually moving into creative direction and executive roles. All the while, around the edges of tending my career and raising children, I continued to take fine art classes, studying under Linda Montagliani, and Philip Wade in Austin, Texas; Jane Filer in Chapel Hill, NC and Flora Bowley out of Oregon.

What is the inspiration for the art you make?

Honestly, the biggest inspiration for me is the calendar. I was deep in my prior career, having ascended to the highest level, but I was burnt to a crisp. One of my best friends died, my company went up for sale, and I decided to take a year’s Sabbatical to heal and figure out how I wanted to design my life. I felt the gravity of how short life is, and I did not want to end up being 90 years old, sitting in an assisted living facility, regretting having not been brave enough to become the artist that I always wanted to be.

So, the year of my Sabbatical, I created my own career plot twist. I moved home to Chapel Hill from Austin, Texas. I walked away from my corporate life and dove headfirst into – finally – owning the artist that I am and building a new career.

Do you teach classes?

I teach creativity classes, as well as classes to help other creatives/artists learn how to build an authentic personal brand, social media presence and marketing strategy.

What can people expect to see at your studio
during the OCAG Studio Tour?

Expect to see an artist in all of her messiness, passion, joy, curiosity and aliveness. Expect music. Expect laughter. Expect a place where everyone is welcome with open arms just as you are. Thank you for loving original art so much that you’d devote a day to spend with us.

Do you have a favorite quote that inspires you?

“You were wild once. Don’t let them tame you.” – Isadora Duncan

Do you do commissions?

I do take commissions on a limited basis. I am an animal lover and delight in taking a break from my regular work to focus on bringing someone’s beloved pet to life. I am also open to doing commissions based on my work in abstraction and abstract realism.

Find out more:

• Instagram @juliewolkart
• Website www.juliewolk.com