Julie Arkell is a contemporary folk artist who was born in London and specialises in papier-mâché and mixed media to create whimsical doll-like figures. She had studied her craft in the West Surrey College of Art and Design and St Martin’s School of Art, where she received a diploma in textiles.
The inspiration for her work are from the things she enjoys in her everyday life, ranging from old toys and folk art, to books and stories and materials such as fabric and wool. For her work, Julie Arkell follows the traditional folk art technique of sculpting creatures and dolls which are praised for the emotion they invoke which livens their characters. Her mix of vintage fabric, scraps of poems and words, knits and stitching put into her dolls radiate a sense of playfulness, charm and wit which is why she has become one of England’s most recognised contemporary folk artist due to her distinct and unique art style. Arkell’s approach to creating is familiar with the well-known artists of the 20th century such as Pablo Picasso and the artists of the Pop Art Movement as they all shun traditional fine art techniques and aim for a more personal style.
Julie Arkell aims for a more magical and wistful appeal with her work which is evident through the surreal but comforting nature of her works with its childlike nature and the myriad of colours she uses. Her characters, which are referred to as creatures, remind me of children’s stop motion animation because of the soft muted colours, the uniquely crafted designs which gives them personality and the simple stylistic art style familiar with animation. It does give her work an immense sense of nostalgia and feels like a forgotten childhood memory. The creatures she creates are amusing and delightful and makes people interpret how they feel about who the creature is as a being and their relationships with the other characters. Nature and forests appear to be a common theme in her work as the some of the imagery surround in her craft involves squirrels, birds, mushrooms and hills.
Her sculpture ‘When Has a Squirrel Made Headline News?’ was created in 2026 using papier-mâché and mixed media involve a squirrel with their knitted fur and their title stitched onto it. I believe that Arkell was able to perfectly capture the essence of an old toy through this work with its unconventional design and sense of softness. Also, I feel like the creature has the design of an anthropomorphic children’s stop motion animated character. Overall, Julie Arkell has a fantastical imagination that is shown through her whimsical, playful pieces and her creatures convey a sense of comfort and charm and makes effective use of the fabric and papier-mâché she uses.
New pieces by Julie Arkell are now available in the gallery and online.