About

Here’s a refined version with your focus on birds, nature, and trees, and without mentioning your mum:

Hello and welcome! My name is Julie, and I am an Australian artist and visual arts educator based on the Redlands Coast, Queensland. Deeply inspired by nature and my immediate surroundings, my work reflects a lifelong connection to the natural world and the memories embedded within it.

As a first-generation Australian Macedonian, my cultural identity has significantly shaped my artistic voice. Although I was born in Australia, I grew up speaking Macedonian and practising cultural traditions that continue to inform my creative perspective and sense of belonging.

From an early age, I have been drawn to birds, trees, and the quiet beauty of the natural environment. Nature plays a central role in my practice, with organic forms, textures, and found elements often appearing in my work. Leaves, weeds, and plant materials collected from my surroundings are used to create both native and imagined landscapes, reflecting my ongoing fascination with the fragility and resilience of the natural world.

I grew up on the Bellarine Peninsula in a rural setting where nature was ever-present. Life on my parents’ hobby farm, surrounded by open space and the rhythms of rural living, fostered a deep appreciation for the environment and sparked my early creativity. These formative experiences continue to shape my artistic practice today.

My work is primarily focused on printmaking, particularly monoprinting. I am drawn to the tactile qualities of the process and the balance between control and unpredictability that it offers. Drawing and painting also inform my practice. I completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in Printmaking, and later undertook postgraduate studies in primary and secondary education, establishing my career as a visual arts educator.