Stella's Art Gallery's Artist of the Week, Julie Orlando from Mentor, Ohio.

Julie Orlando - Artist Julie Orlando - Acrylic Artist
Told by a high school art teacher that her art “wasn’t good enough,” Julie figured she just wasn't meant to be an artist.  So she   pursued a career in science, becoming a veterinarian for large animals. She loved working with the animals on the farm, but she knew that as her family grew she would want to be at home with her kids. Now she teaches college level biological sciences. By chance she came across local art classes and felt a calling to pick up the paint brush again. Julie says painting is like therapy. The stress of life, kids, and job all float away when she begins painting or sketching.  Julie’s art is inspired by the nature around her- Lake Erie, the vegetables and flowers she grows, her animals, and her love of science and comparative anatomy. She enjoys painting with acrylics and drawing with charcoal, pastels, and colored pencils.