Julie VanHeyst is a self-taught artisan and co-owner of studio eleven-eleven, working both with acrylics and oils on canvas. Over the past twelve years her art style has been contemporary/abstract expressionism.

Describing her style as “painting without rules”, she enjoys creating a coherent balance and expression out of a mixture of color, shape and textures. Her focus and joy come from the process. She is more at ease painting on the floor with palette knives, working on all four sides while “getting lost in the process”. She views the canvas as her visual playground and finds pleasure in the freedom of play, the arrangement of color, and the building of layers. She is inspired by other artists, nature, music and everyone that is part of her world.

“The journey has been a great experience and has taught me that if you are doing what you love and are passionate about it, everything that you work hard to accomplish will happen. If you can make something that engages the viewer and evokes some emotion — then it’s a good painting”.

Julie resides in Toledo, Ohio with her husband Dirk.