Julia Karl RI

Statement

My work explores the intersection of memory, observation, and narrative through contemporary watercolour painting. I bring storytelling elements into my paintings, embedding clues and subtle visual cues that invite viewers to construct their own narratives and interpretations.

Photography serves as the foundation of my practice. I work both spontaneously and deliberately, capturing candid moments alongside carefully staged compositions that explore light, form, and spatial relationships. Through watercolour glazing techniques, I build translucent layers that create atmospheric depth, allowing visual narratives to emerge through a meditative, time-intensive process.

In my current body of work, Portraits of Artists, I turn outward to explore the practices of fellow artists and reveal the faces behind their work. I begin with studio visits, where informal conversations allow me to photograph authentic, unposed moments—the subtle, intimate instances when art truly emerges. Back in my studio, I select and digitally combine these images as a foundation for hand-painted sketches on watercolour boards. This series celebrates my artist community, sharing their stories and the human side of artistic creation, while asking: where does the artist end, and the art begin?

Flowers in Beer Cans explores the interplay between transience and preservation, juxtaposing organic forms with industrial containers. Rooted in a childhood photograph of wildflowers arranged in a beer can during a family trip, the series has evolved beyond personal memory into broader explorations of preservation, transience, and material culture. By pairing collectible cans from local breweries with botanical subjects, I create visual dialogues between manufactured design and organic fragility, examining how everyday objects become vessels for memory and meaning.

At its core, my practice investigates presence and perception—the fleeting gestures, subtle expressions, and overlooked beauty that constitute lived experience. By transforming ephemeral moments into sustained visual contemplation, my work invites viewers to reconsider the boundaries between art and life, observation and creation, the ordinary and the profound.

Bio

Julia Karl is a painter living in London, UK. Julia developed her passion for the arts in her early childhood and attended art classes throughout her school years. After earning her Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Arts at Buckinghamshire New University, she relocated to London to work as a graphic designer.

In 2019 she decided to start a second career as a painter. Since then, she has exhibited her work in several group shows including the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI) and The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW). Julia also participated in the TV show Portrait Artist of the Year 2024.

Her work is inspired by Aubrey Beardsley, Lucian Freud, Alice Neel, Paula Rego, Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley, to name a few.

Julia embraces mainly water-based mediums such as watercolours, gouache or ink. Her body of work reflects her day-to-day observation as well as her experience and relationships with the people around her. Likewise, Julia explores elements of mental health and normalness in her paintings. Experimentation through colour and composition of the subject are significant aspects of Julia’s work. Julia’s work stands out through her use of vibrant colours and her sense of weight and body form.