Julie Bauer
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Born in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. I have been doing sculpture and paintings since my childhood, being influenced by the rich European culture from Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, and France.
Kindergarten Principal for nearly a decade. Moving to Shanghai, China and traveling to Australia, Thailand, Dubai and Cambodia. Experiencing Chinese and Aborigine art first hand. "painting without brush" series. Conducted countless workshops with individuals and groups, including artists and fashion designers. 2013 solo exhibition at Xindanwei Shanghai 2014 coaching Sprouts NGO to enhance arts education in rural China, including documentary, exhibition and mass crowd painting. 2014 and 2015 solo exhibitions at Sofitel Shanghai Sheshan Oriental Hotel as well as teaching German, supporting students with behavior issues and working with children with special needs for the Essential Learning Group. 2016 Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. Multiple exhibitions in Reflection Gallery and AVA 2019 moved to Santa Ana, California, USA |
I am an artist."Art is like a fairytale. You go your own way, follow your inspirations and emotions, until you reach a happy ending."
I have been painting and sculpting all my life. I was born in Munich, Germany. I like to travel to find new ideas and inspiration in different cultures and landscapes. In addition to my German heritage, I have absorbed influences from Chinese painting, Australian aboriginal art and the impressions I have had every day in Southern California. People spend so much effort doing "everything right". They put their intuition into a cage. But I want to tap into the unconscious and the spontaneous and let it all flow naturally. My aim is the direct transfer of emotions to canvas in an intuitive way. I combine different techniques and inspirations. I work in a spontaneous and organic way, following my inspirations and my motivation. Sometimes I integrate into my paintings objets trouvé, which are objects that are not normally considered materials from which art is made. In 2013, I was proud to have had my first solo exhibition in Xindanwei, Shanghai. Following that, I had two additional solo exhibitions, in 2014 and 2015, at Sofitel’s Shanghai Sheshan Oriental Hotel. In 2014, I participated in a non-profit rural arts education project in China. I taught my very natural, intuitive approach to help the group awaken arts skills in children from the poorest communities. This was featured in a documentary and led to a mass “crowd painting” event. While living in Shanghai over five years, I conducted countless workshops with individuals and groups, Chinese artists and fashion designers. From 2016 to 2019 I lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee. There I learned the way of life in Tennessee and was inspired by the beautiful trees and lush nature. In summer 2019, my husband and I and my three children moved to Santa Ana, California. I have since enjoyed the sunshine, beaches and the shade of palm trees - the best conditions for my artwork. To me, painting is a fairytale adventure. It's a wonderful metaphor for creativity. As you paint, you face various challenges. Your fairytale might lead you to fight a dragon while heroically saving a princess from danger. Through the forest, across the desert, over the sea, until you finally reach the magic kingdom and the happy ending. A bright and colorful canvas is borne anew. After the work of art comes to a close, the next journey can begin; the next fairytale is waiting to be told. Painting is like traveling without a guide, without even a reservation. On the surface we seem to be controlled by our rationality. We like to have a plan for our lives, for our careers and for our children. But we are humans and we are guided by our emotions as well. If we make decisions only with our rational minds, we often feel subconsciously disenchanted after a while, because we forget to listen to our hearts. We learn to be rational at school; however, the earliest days of our lives start with emotions. We need to respect this part of our nature and remain true to ourselves by embracing our individuality. Everyone sees something different in my art. That’s one of the purposes of my work: offering the possibility to discover one's own meaning in it. This depends on your personal history, your current mood or your particular desires. It can also change. The given title of a piece of work should only be one idea; it is always subjective, therefore encouraging other interpretations. I invite you to examine my art, be a part of it, and try something similar yourself! |
... and I am a teacher, coach and mentor."Paint and open your mind. Get brain space for things you want to do."
After having worked in a children’s home for children from troubled families and obtaining my Teaching Certificate I was a kindergarten principal for many years. While doing that, I observed that established methods of education lacked the capability for students to realize their full potential. I developed a method I call “Effective Learning,” an experience-based learning program for children. This method combines motivation strategies, concentration on the essentials, and relaxation in a smart and simple way. I work with parents based on actual situations to develop alternative ways to act in terms of goals that meet the child’s needs. Art is a tool. Effective learning is a balanced method between knowledge, experience, and empathy. I provide coaching for families, helping parents and children with problems like struggling in school, behavior, and self-confidence. The coaching is designed to help children and parents to find their solution. I use painting as a kind of art therapy. Children with difficulties in reading or math benefit greatly, and parents are happy to see proud children who feel good about their learning progress and their paintings. I have also developed creative painting classes for all ages. After moving to Shanghai in 2010, I amalgamated the whole art/therapy concept and decided to name it "emotionandnature". It was there that I collaborated with the Essential Learning Group, and further expanded my work. I got a lot of feedback and requests from a wide variety of clients. Some of them were from the expat community in Shanghai. But many were from avenues I did not expect. There were Chinese parents who wanted to give an extra creative twist to their children's education. There were Chinese artists and fashion designers who asked to work with me, to widen their creative capabilities. And there were the NGO 'Sprouts' who wanted to bring arts education to rural China, who even made a documentary about my approach. Both adults and children grabbed the chance to widen their potential - while they simply painted, they opened their minds. In Chattanooga, Tennessee, I combined German language classes with artwork and did individual art classes for children and adults. In Summer 2019 I moved to Santa Ana, California to get new inspirations and continue my work. Services include art therapy, learning support for children with special needs, such as anger or frustration management, coping with anxiety and dyslexia, attention deficit disorders, behavior problems, social or emotional problems. If you have any issues with yourself, your partner, colleagues, family members, and your children, make an appointment to get a solution. I also offer team-building seminars and family seminars. Get in touch with emotions and empathy for others, work together with your partner / colleagues, children, or family to solve your problem and to bring things forward, solution-oriented in a positive way. My approach is reality-based and focused on the actual situation. I will show you alternative ways to act, to reach your goals, and to meet your needs. |
Paint and Open Your Mind,
Julie Bauer
