- Story by Darcy Nybo Photography by Don Denton

From West Shore Life + Style magazine

Say the word artist and several images come to mind: you might envision someone covered in paint, lost in thought or covered in clay or dust.

What doesn91裸聊视频檛 come to mind is a medalled ex-military woman, a mother about to get her master91裸聊视频檚 degree, and someone who has a passion for shining a light on concepts surrounding reconciliation. That, in a nutshell is Colwood91裸聊视频檚 Julia Trops.

Julia and her family moved to Colwood from the Okanagan in June of 2017. She immediately transformed her double garage into a workshop and display space. And she needed it: she has over 250 framed paintings, thousands of sketches, several clay sculptures, wax bronze works and hundreds of pounds of stone 91裸聊视频� one about to be transformed into a horse.

Prior to moving to Colwood, Julia lived for 16 years in the Okanagan, where she took Indigenous studies and learned how to speak nsyilxcen at the En91裸聊视频檕wkin Centre, an Indigenous Immersion School.

91裸聊视频淚 was accepted into the En91裸聊视频檕wkin Centre because of all the work I91裸聊视频檇 done in West Kelowna in bridging the two communities [Indigenous and non-Indigenous],91裸聊视频� she said.

While giving an artist talk at Summerland Art Gallery, Julia received a pamphlet about Culture Days 91裸聊视频� a fair held across Canada that focusses on promoting elements of culture.

91裸聊视频淎fter I got the pamphlet, I had a vision. I started talking to people at the Sncewips Heritage Museum and people on the Board of Trade. We [eventually] held our first Culture Days, which was launched at the museum and included many of the Indigenous and non-Indigenous businesses in West Kelowna. It91裸聊视频檚 been running every year since 2014.91裸聊视频�

Julia91裸聊视频檚 path as an artist is nothing short of fascinating, and includes a stint in the military.

91裸聊视频淚 joined the military in 1985 and trained at CFB Cornwallis for basic training, then CFB Borden for training. After that, I moved to Moose Jaw, where I met my husband. I had walked away from being an artist after university in 1980, but even when I was in the military, I just couldn91裸聊视频檛 get away from creating art.91裸聊视频�

Julia and her husband started a family and by 1997, after a peacekeeping tour in the Sinai, she decided to quit the military and go back to school.

91裸聊视频淢y husband had finished his RCMP training and was posted to Alberta. I went back to school at the University of Lethbridge. I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts with Great Distinction in 2001. We moved to Kelowna in 2002 and I was accepted as an artist in residence at the new Rotary Centre for the Arts (RCA).91裸聊视频�

While at the RCA, Julia developed the Livessence Society for Figurative Artists and Models, a life drawing society.

91裸聊视频淚 created it because it was needed. You can91裸聊视频檛 have life art drawings without models and vice versa.91裸聊视频�

Julia became very active in her community, speaking out when she saw inequality and injustice. By the time she left the Okanagan in 2017, Julia had gained a Lifetime Achievement Award, had been interviewed on CBC radio numerous times, attended residencies in Italy and Spain, and become a Banff Centre for the Arts alumni.

91裸聊视频淚 was pretty burned out when I moved to Colwood. I hadn91裸聊视频檛 painted for two years, I was so consumed by community activism.91裸聊视频�

That fall she saw a photo online of a four-year-old girl from the Ma91裸聊视频檃m taglia-Tlowitsis and Namgis First Nations in northern Vancouver Island. The child was holding a sign that said, 91裸聊视频淔ish Farms Out.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚 contacted her parents and they gave permission to paint her. I gave the painting to them as a thank you, following the Indigenous protocol of giving and receiving. The first one [of anything] is always given away.91裸聊视频�

Julia continues to paint for the love of painting and sometimes a photograph from one of the First Nations sites she follows online will catch her eye.

91裸聊视频淚 saw this photo of an Elder from Chilliwack, and I loved the intensity of his expression, and the fact that he was not in regalia, just everyday clothes. I created a painting from that photo. I91裸聊视频檝e contacted him to see if he wants it.91裸聊视频�

She adds, 91裸聊视频淭here are a lot of layers to non-Indigenous artists painting Indigenous peoples and I am very aware of this 91裸聊视频� very cautious, very respectful. I ensure I am not crossing the line into cultural appropriation. It boils down to the fact that people use Indigenous imagery without understanding the traditions, the stories and everything behind it. I make sure I paint with awareness and respect. I always consult and never paint without asking.91裸聊视频�

When she91裸聊视频檚 not in her studio creating art, Julia is finishing her Royal Roads University master91裸聊视频檚 degree project, which includes a paper, an art exhibition and a video. The subject matter is dear to her heart: the hegemonic white society and its impact on community and culture. She91裸聊视频檚 focussed on finishing her project and is in the process of finding a space for her one-woman art show, Bridging Cultures, in 2019.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 proud of the fact I am very mindful of the work I do. From serving in the military to being a master91裸聊视频檚 student 91裸聊视频� being mindful is present in everything I do. Many artists paint to be commercially viable. I am not one of them. While I have sold a great deal of my work, my goal is to simply create. With each piece of art, I learn something about myself.91裸聊视频�

Find more about Julia Trops and her art at