Part of my mission is to help other artists and aspiring artists get their bearings in abstract painting. What exactly makes a good painting good, and how can you get more of that?
For upcoming Abstract Acrylic workshops, see Happening Now!
Beauty & Spirit Note from the studio
My free Beauty & Spirit Note from the studio is a luscious, colorful peek into my latest abstract paintings, news and muse. I share insights and inspiration, especially for artists and patrons who love my work, every few weeks. Please sign up to stay connected and enjoy!
Beauty & Spirit Abstract Artist Circle
I host a Facebook page where you can share abstract work, comments, achievements and interesting links with like-minded artists. Visit, "like," and join the discussion here:
For upcoming Abstract Acrylic workshops, see Happening Now!
To art organizations and groups interested in abstract art:
I specialize in helping artists and aspiring artists to understand what you are seeing when you look at abstract art (including your own): What factors combine to give it impact and engage the viewer (or not)?
I demonstrate techniques that provide the basis for a successful abstract painting while allowing the paint to do much of the work for you.
My workshops give students a strong foundation in abstract composition and materials sensibility. Students experience "real painting" and taste their unique expression, while learning what makes a good painting.
Using these same principles, I offer critiques to art groups whose members want professional feedback.
Email me with your group's interest, location, fee, and a contact person's phone number.
I sometimes travel, so location isn't necessarily a limitation.
"Julie - what can I say! you were great! you did everything one could expect from a work shop: good demo showing your step by step technique, wonderful personal contact & critiques, sharing completed works & the feelings one can get from the paint colors & shapes - AND THE WONDERFUL HANDOUT - I enjoyed it immensely as I am sure everyone did - Thank you so much - sincerely, Patti"
- Patti Giordano, East Suburban Artists League, Murrysville, PA
Here are samples of publicity:
Demo & Presentation
by "Abstract Painting Spirit" artist Julie Bernstein Engelmann
Julie Bernstein Engelmann, an abstract painter from Indiana, PA, believes that an art-maker becomes an artist when they learn to fully embrace and relax with their materials. Especially in abstract painting, the handling of the materials must be fresh and authentic, because the way the paint is handled carries the meaning of the artwork, instead of the subject matter doing so.
Julie demonstrates how you can enjoy paint and enhance the wonderful things it can do, while building on sound painting principles that avoid beginners' pitfalls. She discusses how to "see" an abstract painting, and points to the qualities that help make a painting engaging and successful.
Workshop: Abstract Acrylic Painting
Immerse yourself in painterly abstraction! Julie teaches a layering technique that provides students with a strong foundation from which to make successful abstract paintings (and avoid many pitfalls of the beginning abstract painter!). Using acrylic on paper, you will combine painterly "happy accident" with expressive mark-making to enliven and add depth to your painting, while learning to discern the compositional factors that can help your painting come into its own. The artworks that you bring home will serve as a reminder of your hands-on personal expression and the principles you have learned.
This workshop is for both beginners and experienced artists who wish to get up-close and personal with your paint, loosen up, and learn more about making a good painting.
It also serves as a primer for Julie's followup class, Abstract Painting Intensive.
Workshop: Abstract Painting Intensive
Abstract Painting Intensive is an advanced workshop for students who have taken Julie's Abstract Acrylic Painting workshop before, through any venue. You will more fully experience, apply, and personalize the the principles learned in the previous class--this time with the option of using latex-paint pouring.
This color-and-texture indulgent experience includes frequent critiques and sharing to remind you of the abstract principles at play. Julie will discuss finding stories in the paint and listening to the spirit of the paint, to help you express richly, confidently, and personally.
For this class, you may choose to work on canvas panels, stretched canvas, or paper. Julie will provide a selection of latex paint colors.
Abstract Painting Spirit
In this video, abstract artist Julie Bernstein Engelmann demonstrates her creative painting process
(acrylic and poured latex) and discusses the Spirit in the paint. Beautiful music by composer Bruce Mitchell. 9 minutes.
About Julie Julie Bernstein Engelmann earned her M.F.A. in Art from UCLA and her B.A. from Barnard College in New York City, where she studied with first-generation abstract expressionist Milton Resnick. Her dramatic abstract paintings in lush color and texture have won many Best of Show awards in western Pennsylvania, including the Southwestern Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Regional Juried Exhibition at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley, Pennsylvania.
Julie lives in Indiana, Pennsylvania, where she works primarily on partially-primed canvas, alternating layers of poured interior latex wall paint with acrylic brushwork. Julie teaches abstract painting through art organizations, Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Continuing Education program, privately, and as an ArtsPath rostered artist in the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Directory of Artists-In-Education. Julie is represented by four galleries in Pennsylvania and Arizona.
A solo show of Julie's abstract paintings, "Being Spirit," was recently held at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Altoona, Pennsylvania, January 18-April 20, 2013. See Julie's artwork at www.julieengelmann.com.
Artist Mentoring
Dear Artist friend,
This message is specifically for artists who resonate with my artwork in a special way that feels like possibilities are opening up. Might you want one-on-one mentoring with me?
Do you have a feeling that you need more guidance in your abstract art -- that there is more to learn, yet you've gone as far as your teachers and your current level of insight can take you?
Do you wish you could move from feeling around in the dark to knowing what is happening when you paint?
Do you want to feel confident and competent when you enter shows?
Are you wondering whether you are ready to approach galleries, and what that entails?
Do you feel queasy when you have to price your artwork?
What might it mean to your artwork and to your life if you had regular feedback, insight, and support for your art from an experienced professional? I mentor painters (local or long distance) who are finding their voice in their abstract art and feel I can help them.
Most noticeably, a mentoring schedule provides rhythm, motivation, and momentum that builds unprecedented productivity for you as an artist.
Through gentle yet candid critique, I encourage you toward your unique expression. I help you to clearly see and understand the visual factors at play in your work that affect its impact, and how to enhance them.
Through practical guidance, I help you to move your work toward award-level quality and career next-steps.
Sessions are recorded, where possible, so you can listen again.
If this artist might be you, email me your interest and I'll send you details.
Single sessions and first sessions are $65 for ninety minutes. These sessions are longer than the regular ones, because artists usually have a lot of work to discuss.
For artists on a regular cycle, sessions are $35 per hour.
Thank you for your interest!
Julie Julie Bernstein Engelmann
"Julie, I am amazed by how much I learn in each of our sessions!!! I love our telephone sessions every other week and how you are able to teach me and guide my painting, despite the fact that you are across the country. The recordings are so helpful and I refer back to them frequently. My time in the studio is so much more fun because I have new direction and I am not just guessing at what to paint. I have gone from not painting at all, to spending several hours a day painting and loving it!
"I can't thank you enough for helping me submit and be accepted to my first juried art show!! I look forward to our continued sessions and hope I will get the opportunity to attend more of your workshops.
"I love your painting and the title 'Is it Really Okay to Feel this Good?' and I ask myself that often when I am painting!"
Julie Bernstein Engelmann, an abstract painter from Indiana, PA, believes that an art-maker becomes an artist when they learn to fully embrace and relax with their materials. Especially in abstract painting, the handling of the materials must be fresh and authentic, because the way the paint is handled carries the meaning of the artwork, instead of the subject matter doing so.
What might it mean to your artwork and to your life if you had regular feedback, insight, and support for your art from an experienced professional? I mentor painters (local or long distance) who are finding their voice in their abstract art and feel I can help them.