Julia Harlow Valeski’s artistic journey began in Tucson, Arizona, nurtured by a talented and creative mother. She entered the University of Wisconsin in Madison intending to study nursing, but after tackling courses like chemistry and bacteriology, she discovered her true passion lay elsewhere. Drawn to the world of interior design, she found joy in creating renderings that captured the beauty of historical styles and furniture arrangements. With both parents deeply engaged in the arts—her mother an artist and her father an art collector—Julia grew up immersed in creativity, later exploring oil painting and three-dimensional design during college, and experimenting with watercolor.

As life evolved, Julia devoted herself to raising two sons, temporarily setting aside her painting. Once they were grown, she returned to her creative roots through a career in interior design. A client who was an artist rekindled her love for painting; Julia found herself captivated by her client’s studio and inspired to pick up the brush again. When her family gifted her art supplies in 2012, her artistic passion was fully reignited. Since then, painting has become a central part of her life—an immersive and fulfilling practice through which she captures the essence of people, places, and moments.