In this episode, Evan Kitson sits down with one of his longtime painting heroes, Julie Heffernan, for a rich and wide-ranging conversation. Julie is renowned for her lush, allegorical paintings, but in recent years, she’s taken a surprising and thrilling turn into the world of graphic novels with her debut book Babe in the Woods: or, The Art of Getting Lost.

Together, Evan and Julie dive into:

• The origins of Babe in the Woods and the unlikely software behind it (spoiler: Microsoft Paint!)
• How narrative and composition intersect in both her paintings and her book
• The difference between critique and personal exploration in visual storytelling
• Trees, mark-making, and the visual vocabulary of digital drawing
• What it means to truly respond to your own work- and how to let go of what no longer serves you
• The role of beauty, mystery, and formal relationships in building meaningful art
• The powerful influence of image streaming on her creative process
• Julie’s upcoming second graphic novel, plus her thoughts on artists, films, and books that shaped her journey

Want to watch our conversation? We're on YouTube!
Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ihkU4rUDJs
Our YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/@theopensketchbook


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GUEST: Julie Heffernan
https://www.julieheffernan.net/
https://www.instagram.com/julie_heffernan_/

Heffernan's Amazing Graphic Novel:
Babe in the Woods: or, The Art of Getting Lost
https://amzn.to/41pAR6I (this is an affiliate link)

Julie's Book Recommendations:
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
https://amzn.to/3DU9oCq

When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut
https://amzn.to/4ciUMJC

In the Distance by Hernan Diaz
https://amzn.to/4j1aX0e

HOST: Evan Kitson
https://evankitson.com
https://www.instagram.com/evan_kitson/