Julie Warmke-Robitaille, JWR, began painting in 1991 when she was having trouble writing her first novel. Frustrated with writing, she decided to do something completely different and signed up for Eleanor Blair’s Thursday night studio painting class. What that painting class taught her was that you can’t create anything, a painting or a novel, in your head. It has to happen on the page and on the canvas. She has been writing and painting ever since.
Over the years, she has had the good fortune to study with many wonderful teachers including Ellie Blair, Annie Pace, Linda Pence, Peggy Mixon, and Kana Handel. For years she was a regular exhibitor at the Spring Arts Festival, the Downtown Arts Festival, and the Thornebrook Arts Festival. She also regularly participated in plein air events such as the Melrose Paint Out, the Evinston Paint Out, and the Kanapaha Paint Out. Although she has retired from art fairs, she still paints regularly in her studio.
