JULIE and the Art Crew

Julie Glaude- Owner of Unicorns (and Studio)

I’m a northern Canadian girl who has always had a passion for the arts and teaching. I received my formal training at Cambrian College, where I obtained a diploma in Advanced Fine Arts. My personal art practice has allowed me to branch out, and explore a wide variety of artistic media, such as painting, sculpture, photography, and drawing with an ongoing interest in the dramatic arts. In the last several years, the Greater Toronto Area has become my home. The diversity and vivacious energy of the city inspires my work balanced with my love of nature. I do love to work independently, but I also enjoy collaborating. When I teach, I get to experience the curiosity of students as they engage in artmaking. Their unique experiences fuel my own creative process and bring me much joy! My dream to own my own studio has now come alive and I use my creative energy to make JG Art Space a safe environment for young and old to come learn, experience and play with numerous mediums. And let loose! Also…I really enjoy exhibiting my own work. I usually do it several times a year, so don’t be shy and come on by because you may see a few of my own pieces in the studio!

Petra Bockus- Artventurer

When I first picked up a pencil, I knew art would be my eternal distraction. That excitement has never wavered. After acquiring a degree in Illustration and Design from Sheridan College, I launched into a freelance career that has allowed me to feed my insatiable appetite for the arts and explore many things. This journey has led from illustrating children's books, to painting commissions for portraits, landscapes and interior wall murals around the GTA, to discovering a passion for sculpture and the construction arts, to eventually creating my own company, “ARTitude”.

I settled and found my true happiness during the last decade, when I started working with children and teaching the visual arts. From a studio space in the back of a game shop, I was able to inspire children with the arts, and help them develop confidence in themselves to explore their own potential. Sharing the joy of creativity with others has since become my primary focus, and I now teach visual art workshops to adults and children in classrooms, camps, a maker space, and this glorious art Studio. JG Studio is my new ‘home base and happy place’ and I am slowly infusing it with my art, experiments, and my mildly twisted charm.

Maryam Mohamed

 I am a multidisciplinary artist based in Pickering working with textiles, painting, and digital media. My artwork tells stories of how history continually impacts the Indo-Guyanese community. Using traditional and new media, I explore unique ways of healing and reclaiming an ancestral culture I yearn to reconnect with. I use elements of nature, dreams, and childhood memories as representations of my culture and relationship to it. Researching and drawing inspiration from history also helps me explore questions around the complexity of cultural identity and how migration impacts this.

I graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University’s New Media program in 2023 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Minor in History. I also exhibited my recent work in exhibitions at Northern Contemporary Gallery in 2023 and the 2024 DesignTO festival. In my spare time, I work and volunteer with various arts organizations, including the Women’s Art Association of Canada. Working with my community is just as important to me as making art, and I am excited to teach my skills to the local community in Julie’s studio!

Ava Tsoutsos -Creative Wizard

My name is Ava Tsoutsos! I am a young artist awaiting to start my second year at OCAD University, in the drawing and painting program. I enjoy trying new media and techniques in my work. In my practice, my main focus is painting with oils and acrylic. However, I create with other mediums such as charcoal, pastels (dry and oil), graphite pencils, ink, collage, sculpture, printmaking, clay, and more. I enjoy experimenting with combining mediums and playing around with perspective, size, and composition. The newest addition in my work of mine is crocheting. I have started with learning the basics and plan on incorporating it into my work. I find it could be fun and intriguing.

My interest in joining Julie Glaude’s Art Space stems from my passion and excitement about art. I love being in a studio environment with people of all ages who want to learn and grow as artists. Julie’s studio is a fun, welcoming, creative space in the Pickering community and I am beyond excited to be a part of it!

I hope to be in the studio with you soon.