Julie Epp

Background

About Julie Epp

My name is Julie Epp and I am the artist behind Julily Art. I create art for people who appreciate the beauty in the world around them. Sure, there are problems, but overall its a pretty cool place with a lot of nice stuff to look at. Our society attaches a lot of guilt to enjoyment of simple things with simple meanings. Guilty pleasures shouldn’t be guilty! I implore you to invite more beauty, happiness, and enjoyment into your life! I hold a BFA from the University of the Fraser Valley and have been featured in a multitude of art galleries for my painting and sculptural work. My work lives in collections all over the world, but most of it still lives in my country of Canada! My artwork explores dirty beauty: a kind of beauty that exists whether we mean it to or not, and its not something we can create or destroy. Dirty beauty is things like the mushrooms in the forest breaking down old leaves and carcasses, but behind those mushrooms is miles of fungus interconnecting to take part in the recycling and rebirth of the perishable parts of our environment (including us!). Dirty beauty is also the bodies we live in. They are worn and strong, sweaty and capable, drooping and productive. Our bodies are the vessels that hold all that we are, and conventional ideals of beauty put that natural wear and tear on our vessels in a small, unwanted box. Real beauty is the beauty we search for, that makes us feel whole and welcome. Real beauty doesn’t make us feel self-conscious or unwelcome. Real beauty is what we find around us when we aren’t expecting it.