Julia Karl
Biography
Julia Karl is a Russian-German painter based in East London. She works mainly in watercolour, gouache and ink, with a particular focus on figurative and portrait painting.
Her work has been exhibited at Mall Galleries with the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours and at the Royal Scottish Academy with the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour. She appeared in series 11 of Portrait Artist of the Year in 2024.
Artist Statement
My work explores the intersection of memory and observation, using personal and collective narratives as starting points. I work primarily in watercolour and ink, allowing the fluidity of these materials to shape the atmosphere and emotional character of each image.
Figurative and portrait painting are central to my practice. I am interested in how familiar objects, people and places can hold memories, and how these associations can be translated through colour, detail and the behaviour of water-based media.