Biography

Council Grounds State Park 2012

 Julie L Jilek (b. 1981) American painter was born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin.  She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2005.  Her work has been shown throughout the Midwest including her first solo exhibition at the Wisconsin State Capital Building in Madison, Wisconsin. She has since participated in many group and solo exhibitions.  She recently completed a stay as Artist-In-Residence at the prestigious Anderson Center in Red Wing, Minnesota.  

In the spring of 2011, Julie received national exposure in the American Artist: Drawing Magazine's annual Cover Competition.  She was also selected out of thousands of entrants as one of the top 40 finalists in the Artistic Excellence Competition through Southwest Art Magazine. In 2012, her drawing of Christina was included in the annual publication of the Strokes of Genius: The Best of Drawing 4 series.

Committed to the preservation of the arts and the environment, Julie is currently working on the Wisconsin State Park Plein Air Painting Project documenting all 57 State Parks and Forests in her home state through plein air painting.  The project began in the Spring of 2011 and will continue through 2013.  At the completion of her travels, the collection will be published into a book and the paintings will be exhibited in 2013.  To read more about this project please click here.  

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