Artist Statement
The Midnight Pond (No. 1-8) is a series created as a meditation on the serenity and graceful movement of koi. I created this series during a time of personal struggle, and used the paintings as a way to slow down and take a closer look at the simplicity of fish, while observing the visual complexity of their bodies.
In this series, the koi swim through deep blue waters with their red, black, and gold bodies shining against the darkness of the pond. Each painting is intended to capture a different rhythm of the pond, moments of stillness and sudden movement, crossing one another’s paths. In observing a pond, one can see both harmony and disruption beneath the surface.
These are not portraits of a pond, but rather evocations of what it feels like to linger at the water’s edge at night. The hush of shadows, the glimmer of life below the surface, and the endless pull of mystery just out of sight.
Biography
Julie Epp was born and raised in the Fraser Valley, where her connection to art and nature began early. She earned her BFA from the University of the Fraser Valley and has since developed a painting practice rooted in curiosity, storytelling, and the layered nature of identity.
Working primarily on paper, Julie’s serene, surreal portraits explore emotion, memory, and the parts of ourselves we often keep hidden. Her subjects act as quiet vessels for personal and collective experiences, blending dreams with inner landscapes. These figures often appear in still, contemplative states, surrounded by natural elements like water, flowers, and fish, chosen not for fixed symbolism but for the way they evoke emotional resonance and a sense of connection to something beyond language.
Julie’s process, grounded in layering and subtle detail, pushes the softness of watercolour into something deeper and more complex. Her background in graphite drawing brings added nuance, as she uses texture and transparency to suggest what lies beneath the surface, both literally and metaphorically.
At the heart of her work is a gentle excavation of the self: the stories we forget, the truths we bury, and the quiet strength required to face them. Painting is both a meditative practice and a means of transformation for Julie; a way to move through anxiety and into clarity. Through her art and teaching, she invites others into that same space of exploration, offering stillness, empathy, and an opening to the inner self.
Website: julilyart.com
Facebook: facebook.com/julilyart
Instagram: @julilyart