Julie MacDonald

Julie MacDonald (b. 1951) is a multidisciplinary artist based in the Bay Area. For her ongoing series of works on paper, MacDonald fills shaped surfaces with vividly colored gem-like structures, text, or swirling organic forms. Since joining NIAD Art Center in 2015, her practice has expanded from drawing to include fashion, soft sculpture, and ceramics. She applies her keen sense of color to hand-built clay vessels, explaining, “I like to make bowls because I enjoy the clay. The colors are very important to me: red, blue, orange, pink. I like bright colors.”

Her work has been showcased in exhibitions around the Bay Area, including those at Chico Art Center, Bedford Gallery, Narrative, and the Oakland Museum of California. In 2025, one of her paintings was acquired for the permanent collection of Stanford Health Care. Considering the future of her practice, MacDonald shares, “I want to continue working. I want to learn sewing and I want to make new fashions.

How long have you been working at NIAD? 

I’ve been coming to NIAD about 7 years. 

What are some of your favorite materials to work with? 

I like ceramics. I like to make bowls because I enjoy the clay. The colors are very important to me; red, blue, orange, pink. No black. I just don’t like it. I like bright colors. 

I’m curious if you could tell me something about your drawings. 

In my drawings I like different colors. I use colored crayons, paints, colored pencils. Using a ruler is an important tool. 

What’s next for you in your practice? 

I want to continue working. I want to learn sewing and to make pillows. I want to make new fashions, like a shirt or a jacket. 

How do you like to work? Is there something important to you for creating new work?

I like to listen to music while I work. I like jazz and rock and roll. Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson especially. 

Is there someone important to you in your creative work? A mentor, teacher or friend? 

I like to work next to Karen May. She does the same kind of work I do. We get along together, we’re close. 

Do you have a favorite memory at NIAD? 

I like the NIAD picnic. I like BBQ ribs, baked beans and potato salad.