The next few weeks are about to get very busy.

I’m gearing up for the StartUp Art Fair in Venice, California, and if you’ve never been, it’s one of the more fun and unconventional art fair formats out there. The fair is a full hotel takeover where artists transform their hotel rooms into individual gallery spaces. It’s the kind of place where you can wander room to room with a drink in hand, listen to music, and stumble into art you didn’t expect to love.

February 27 - March 1, 2026

The Kinney
737 W Washington Blvd
Venice, CA 90292
You’ll find me in room 334

I was first introduced to StartUp Art Fair last April when a friend invited me to share a suite with him. That experience marked a couple of firsts for me: my first time showing work at this fair, and my first time traveling to a new city specifically to exhibit my art. Thankfully, this year the fair is only an hour from my home base, but the stakes feel higher. I’ll have my own suite this time, which means I need to show up with new work and a fully realized presentation.

**StartUp Art Fair San Francisco April 2025**

With only a few weeks left, it’s officially grind time. I love this period of intense work, but all of the prep and promotion can be exhausting.

At the same time I’m deep in production, we’re also starting a renovation on our garage. The plan is to convert it into an apartment that will double as my new art studio. It’s already been delayed a year. I’m working in a temporary setup for now, but it’s not as disruptive as I’d expected.

Before the StartUp Fair opens, I’ll also be making my debut at Thinkspace Gallery in Los Angeles. I was introduced to Thinkspace after one of the gallery’s curators (who is also a great collage artist) gave me a portfolio review. During that critique, he offered me a spot on their Fresh Series wall, and I immediately said yes.

The opening is on February 7th, and if you’re in the area, it’s absolutely worth checking out. The curator also happens to be a DJ, and he’ll be creating a live mix for the opening. Music paired with some truly incredible art. He’s got a great eye, and I’m honored to be part of the show.

**The Fresh Series introduces new artists**

February 7th, 2026

Thinkspace Gallery
4217 W. Jefferson Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90016
The party starts at 6pm.

This week also marks the final days you can see my work in Downtown LA at the Emerging Gallery. This gallery is the starting point for DTLA Art Night, a monthly art walk that takes place on the first Thursday of every month. More than 25 galleries participate, debuting new exhibitions from their fine art collections, and the energy downtown is always electric.

January 1 - January 31, 2026

Emerging Gallery
123 W. 4th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

If you read my last blog post, you know I was surprised to learn that some people didn’t quite have the bandwidth to read my artwork at The Other Art Fair. That experience made me pause and seriously question whether I wanted to continue developing my comic series. At the Emerging Gallery, they were showing my Ecstasy XL comic piece alongside my No Smoking appliance piece, and what I saw there was a huge relief.

Lots of people were reading.

What I realized is that the issue wasn’t a lack of interest, it was context. The Other Art Fair was simply too kinetic, too overwhelming. There was so much art competing for attention that slowing down to read became difficult. Seeing viewers engage with the work in a gallery setting confirmed that the problem wasn’t the format, it was the environment.

So instead of abandoning the comic series, I decided to adapt it.

Moving forward, I’ll be creating smaller, more entry-level comic pieces with fewer panels. The idea is to invite people in gently. If they can handle a few panels, maybe they’ll graduate to the longer, denser narratives later. That’s the plan, at least.

All of this brings me back to the studio to focus on new work that I’ll be showing at the StartUp Art Fair. If you’re in town and want to come, hit me up. I’ve got free passes.

See you around!

Julie

Next Stops: Gallery Show and Art Fair

Is your attention span long enough to read this art?