Finding Art and Hope 

My name is Julissa, also known as Pax Paints and I'm an acrylic painter based in the Twin Cities, MN. My journey with painting began as a way of survival. After a traumatic brain injury (TBI) damaged my vision, I began experiencing chronic visual distortions, pain, and nausea that reoriented my entire world.

Painting became my way through daily difficulties and intensive vision therapy. It gave me a language when words weren't enough, and a practice that helped me rebuild my visual-spatial skills, find meaning, hope, identity, and community again. What started as a personal healing journal quickly became a greater calling.

Art is medicine

There's something about putting a brush on canvas that generates an expansive, exciting feeling. For me expressive work isn't just an aesthetic choice. It is a reflection of learning to see again more vibrantly and complexly. My pieces carry that unique human experience: vivid, magical, and complex. I utilize hyper-saturated neon colors and dots to show you my new visual experience post-injury. It can be overwhelming and dizzying but still contains beauty. 

Every single print, sticker, and painting I create is rooted in the idea that we can make beauty of our most difficult moments. I seek to share that in multiple ways. Through my painting work itself, but also through teaching and advocacy. 

I have taught painting for about 3 years now and it has been just as fulfilling to guide others in their own painting practice. 

Minnesota as Inspiration 

The landscapes in Minnesota are woven into everything I make. I am a tremendously passionate advocate for protecting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, one of the most beautiful wilderness areas left in the country. That connection to land, water, and wilderness as a healing mechanism shows up in my work in many ways. This passion intersects with my advocacy for community - those of us that live upon the land. From creatures to people. I see it all as interconnected and important. 

Work with me

I am based in the Twin Cities and open to partnerships, teaching opportunities, commission work, and collaborations. Reach me at paxpaints@gmail.com.