We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Julia Koehler a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Julia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

Growing up my parents never stifled my creative energy; instead, they embraced it head on. When I was little, they let me draw during church services and in middle school they granted me permission to paint my door however I wanted. Yes, I had a breakdown while painting the animatronics from Five Night’s at Freddy’s. Yes, Hamilton and the TARDIS made an appearance. Yes, I was and will always be a nerd. Looking at that door now I can feel exactly where I was in those moments. My dorkiness, my enthusiasm, the breakdowns all still appear fresh in my brain. This door acts as the first substantial work having the ability to emotionally move my mind through time. This moment catapulted me into a world of endless artistic possibilities. It was not until college that I truly found my way back to a canvas. For years, I painted on everything but canvas: vinyl, calculators, doors, cups… everything. This exploration inspired my professional name: Julia’s Endless Canvas. My parents’ encouragement to think outside the box boosted my creativity and resourcefulness. I see remnants of this initial spark as I scan thrift stores for goodies that I can repurpose. Julia’s Endless Canvas has become a reminder that creativity has no dead ends. I cannot imagine how different my artistic pursuit would be without their continued support through adolescence, college, and post-graduation.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Julia Koehler, but I go by Jb most of the time. I am a queer artist living and working in Staunton, Virginia. In 2024, I graduated from James Madison University with an Art B.F.A. Outside of my studio I pole dance, bake cookies, screen-print, and give lots of hugs to my asthmatic cat.

I cannot remember a life without art shooting out of my fingers. My grandma describes it as “her fingertips itching,” and I invite everyone to use that phrase. I remember drawing signs for my swim team, gifting a drawing of the Taj Mahal to my civics teacher, and my art teacher displaying my work for the class. On the other hand, I recall teacher’s scolding my habit of drawing tattoos on both my arms with sharpie because it was going to give me ink poisoning. When I entered high school, I had branded myself as an “art kid.” I designed club shirts, event banners, commissions, and painted the set for our production of Annie. I maintained my own practice, and in 2020 I started taking commissions more seriously. I became popular for my affordable custom vinyl paintings and frequently receive requests 6 years later. In the fall of 2020, I started my college career as a theatre major, but I quickly found myself nesting into the Art BFA program. Throughout those years, I did many art shows such as the Taubman Museum’s Sidewalk Art Show and many popups in a 100 mile radius. I cannot wait to hop back into that once this ice thaws and the sun comes back out. As I grew into my personal style in college, I discovered that creative endeavors makeup the core of my being and solidified my desire to pursue art professionally.

Currently, I am building a collection of mixed media works for my solo show at The Smith House Galleries. The show, Simmering Beneath the Surface, will navigate the moments on the cusp of an explosion or when the tension finally breaks. The complex layering and use of thrifted materials creates unique compositions that becomes so lively it sings. I give and take away from these pieces over a long duration of time so they become a mod podge of everyday tribulations, triumphs, and frustrations. I often hear, “the more I look at your painting the more hidden elements I discover.” Alongside building this new combination of paintings, I offer a variety of services. On my website, I offer mixed media commissions, a monthly “I SPY” inspired puzzle called “Let’s see…,” and Canvas Extended: a physical magazine I started this year. The first edition comes out in March 2026! I am very excited to see where these two services take me. The magazine includes exclusive artworks, writings, and updates while providing a fun, spunky mail delivery! Physical editions sell for $15 and include fun add ons and rewards. At the end of every month, one person will receive an original collage. The convolution of patterns and objects in my work inspired “Let’s see…” and is only $5 a month. This monthly puzzle provides an affordable and accessible way for me to distribute my art. Updates on these services can be found through my instagram, @juliasendlesscanvas, and purchased through my website on the “completed canvas” tab.

I am proud of my resilience and how far I have come. My senior year I was stacking 5-7 studio classes and basically lived in the studio until graduation. Shortly after I graduated I attended the Byrdcliffe Artist Residency program in Woodstock, New York. I worked crazy overtime to afford that residency before and after my two month stay. For a couple months I was working 3 jobs totaling 70-80 hours a week. I did what I had to do, and I would do it again. I give myself a pat on the back for being willing to be uncomfortable in the name of artistic pursuit. Someone I met called it the “scavenging” era which I found quite humorous. On a technical level, I love the way I am maintaining a sense of spontaneity in my brush strokes while I build echos throughout the work. These echos aid the puzzle-like appearance, and I encourage viewers to look in every direction to catch these moments of repetition. My color work and technical abilities acts as a testimony to the years of hard work and dedication I have put towards my craft.

I have an interesting quirkiness to my tactile layers and mixed media approaches. My work acts as a lyrical ritual navigating dynamics within intimate experiences regarding friendship, familial, and societal roles. Throughout my work I utilize the animal kingdom paired with spunky, detailed doodles. Many of my pieces include a figurative element, but an animal holds a hidden language and sense of untouchability. This separation communicates my own yearning for escapism and contextualizes humans as witnesses. Through a thick accumulation of labor intensive mixed-media approaches I investigate themes of loss and discovery. Collage, thread, beads, and paint lay down a path to a catastrophic atmosphere, with colorful pattern work that leaves the viewer relating to the heavy dialogue, but leaving with a new sense of strength. The combustion of collage and colors represent my refusal to conform into my assigned container and the impossibility to deny oneself the right to self-expression and freedom. The combination of these disciplines makes stunning pieces. If a client has a vision in mind, I would love to help make it come to life. I can guarantee organized chaos, dedication, and vibrancy.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I fully believe in being the change you want to see in the world; more-so, I believe in being the community you want to see. More than ever, I find it incredibly valuable and radical to love my neighbors and my city. If I am physically capable, I will be there. The best thing society can do to support artists includes political activation and local community engagement. Across the globe, people have access to witness atrocities through first-hand perspectives. Art has always been political as a source of activism, documenting narratives, and continuously challenging the norm. Society should not wait until the action is at their door; instead, communities should come together by building supportive organizations as well as participating in strikes and protests. I highly recommend reading, “All Art Is Political,” by Maria Brito on The Groove. Community is the front line to maintaining a thriving creative ecosystem.

In the same vein as political activation, society can further reinforce creatives through supporting their local economy. This support includes shopping from small businesses, building an art collection from local galleries, and building a network of communication. Supporting small businesses is better for the town’s economy and directly supports those who create these astonishing fields. For example, First Fridays are popular in Virginia. I would encourage as many people as possible to go to those openings, talk to the artists, and find out what the heck is going on. It is nice to have a reliable artistic community. This network comes with time and initiative but is incredibly fulfilling. Overall, the best thing us people can do to support the arts is fight for a better future and prioritize community building.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I have had to learn to slow down and let go. In college, the professor provides clear deadlines with consequences, but post-grad I realized my motivation was influenced by the fear of those consequences. I spent years prioritizing my art output above my other passions, so when I had more control over where to place my time I felt immensely guilty for my slower creation rate. I had intense motivation that eventually turned into negative self-talk when I failed to meet those goals. Plot twist: a work/life balance is actually important. This motivation turned guilt dampened my ability to enjoy other avenues that bring me fulfillment. For example, when I took time to create a Pole Dance routine I was less active artistically, and this imbalance left me feeling embarrassed in my own studio. These feelings continued until I realized they were stressing out everything that I loved. I had taught myself that if I did not create new masterpieces every few weeks that I as a person was not productive or serious enough. However, in the past few months I have worked on building balance. Now, I workout more, I eat better, I feel better, and I actually get more work done because I don’t have to fight through a wall of guilt every time I want to make art. Instead, I am starting a new era of purposeful direction, flow, and fun.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.juliakoehler.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliasendlesscanvas/?hl=en