Hi! I’m Julia Klapakis, a 26-yr old, self-taught artist, living in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. My main focus is on watercolour illustrations with cosy, storybook subjects. Growing up I always loved the art in picture books and even when I was ‘too old’ for children’s stories I would flick through the pages and marvel at how the colours and shapes could create such beautiful scenes and create dreams of worlds we only ever see on paper. Shirley Barber, Beatrix Potter and Enid Blyton were (and still are) some of my favourite author/illustrators; their work feels magical in such a beautiful way.

My Background

My parents encouraged my creativity by sending me to a Waldorf school here in Naarm, making a large impact in how I experience the world. The structure and culture of the alternative education system worked wonders for my open-mindedness and creative drive and I still love the Waldorf teachings and ethics.

My background is Greek-Australian and German and we followed many of the European traditions growing up. I feel very connected to both cultures and the European influence is very evident in my work, although I do try my best to include other cultures in a respectful manner as much as possible.

In the last few years, I have made the discovery that I am ADHD and Autistic - a huge turning point in my life. It explained many of my experiences growing up and validated the ever-present feeling of being an outcast. After gaining that insight I have found comfort and connection within the neuro-divergent community and in turn, this has become a large part of my art as well. Perhaps I have stronger rigidity than some, due to my autism, but that has also made me feel very passionately about activism and education. I include my views in my content on social media in the hopes of educating others on the division that still exists so prominently and the work that still needs doing to change that. I make an effort to keep my content kid friendly but do include the occasional content that may be for more mature viewers.

My Art

My art centers around reclaiming the childhood wonder that many of us adults lose amongst the pressures and stress of our world and my goal is to spread some whimsy and wonder back to anyone who might need it. While I love children and will always encourage my art to be shared with children everywhere, my main inspiration is the little kid inside everyone who no longer gets to play and dream the same way we used to.

I have a dream of one day writing and illustrating my own children’s book, just like many of my inspirations. Because as C.S. Lewis said ‘some day you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again’ and I would love to share that journey with you.

With love,

Julia