Architecture, Color, and the Art of Reinvention
Julie Loeckx’s entrance into the visual arts was not a calculated leap but rather an irresistible pull back to a forgotten part of herself. Long before she became a full-time artist, Loeckx was already reshaping environments — as a trained landscape architect and urban designer. Her work helped redefine parts of Antwerp and influenced real-estate development through her firm, Montreal, co-founded with her husband. Despite these accomplishments, something remained unresolved. A long-forgotten box of childhood watercolors, discovered in her attic, proved catalytic. What began as a quiet return to an old hobby transformed into a full-blown creative awakening. By 2021, she stepped away from business to pursue painting with undivided focus, marking the start of a remarkably swift ascent in the art world.
In her paintings, Loeckx translates her multidisciplinary background into vivid compositions that resist easy categorization. Her work oscillates between abstraction and figuration, drawing strength from that ambiguity. There are echoes of spatial logic and urban rhythm embedded in the structure of her canvases, but these are infused with emotional immediacy. Through color, she constructs psychological geographies: each stroke and pattern suggesting movement, memory, or mood. Whether working on intimate portraits or expansive abstracts, she channels the same intuitive force, treating painting not just as visual expression, but as personal release. Her pieces carry the energy of discovery, shaped by her belief that aesthetics offer emotional nourishment rather than intellectual distance.
Loeckx’s artistic practice is steeped in authenticity. Her compositions aren’t calculated displays of academic theory or artistic detachment; instead, they come alive with sincerity. She approaches her work with purpose but never with pretension. The result is an oeuvre that feels generous, accessible, and deeply felt. It’s an emotional cartography shaped by a woman who is neither confined by her past nor constrained by expectation. Her work is not about arriving at answers but about making space for curiosity, contradiction, and joy — qualities that extend far beyond the canvas.
Julie Loeckx: From Private Studio to Public Space
In recent years, Julie Loeckx’s art has extended well beyond the walls of her studio in ’s-Gravenwezel. Her largest and most visible commission to date involved nearly 300 original works installed throughout the voco Brussels City North hotel. This ambitious project saw her work fill the guest rooms, hallways, lobby, and restaurant of the ultra-modern boutique hotel adjacent to the Living Tomorrow innovation campus in Vilvoorde. The alignment of her optimistic aesthetic with the hotel’s forward-thinking ethos resulted in a seamless collaboration. Loeckx was given the freedom to explore color, rhythm, and emotion while keeping in mind the brand’s values — a challenge she embraced rather than resisted. The outcome was not only visually striking but also emotionally resonant, turning everyday hospitality spaces into immersive art experiences.
Public reception has affirmed the lasting impact of these contributions. Hotel guests frequently remark on how the artwork elevates their experience, underscoring the role art can play in shaping mood and memory within shared environments. The project revealed Loeckx’s capacity to scale her practice without diluting its intimacy. Her bold use of line and chromatic interplay remained intact, but now unfolded across a sprawling architectural canvas. This success led to further commissions, including works for the Van der Valk Hotel Antwerp and, most recently, a mural project for Schilde Town Hall slated for completion in 2025. This public piece emphasizes themes of diversity and community, showcasing her growing role in translating personal artistic vision into civic statements.
Yet even amid these expansive projects, Loeckx remains grounded in the rituals of studio life. She continues to develop deeply personal works for private collectors, often tailoring pieces to specific interiors and emotional palettes. The demand is growing, with a waiting list that now stretches months in advance. Whether displayed in a gallery, embedded in a hotel, or occupying a wall in a collector’s home, each piece retains its expressive power. Her art doesn’t shift based on its setting; rather, it adapts, expands, and resonates anew. In Loeckx’s hands, painting becomes not just a practice but a connective tissue between artist, viewer, and environment.
Intuition, Pattern, and the Invisible Pulse
At the core of Julie Loeckx’s visual language lies a distinct negotiation between chaos and composition. Her paintings, often characterized by vibrant patterns and emotionally charged brushwork, possess an energetic rhythm that feels both raw and refined. This duality mirrors the inner dynamic of the artist herself — someone driven by emotion yet anchored by training. Her academic foundation in spatial design surfaces in the alignment of forms and the subtle structuring of her compositions, but the heart of her work lies in its spontaneity. There’s a sense that each piece unfolds in real time, shaped more by intuition than by formal constraint. This tension generates a charged atmosphere, allowing her work to breathe while maintaining a strong visual coherence.
Recurring motifs such as swirling shapes, outlined silhouettes, and layered transparencies create a recognizable aesthetic that distinguishes Loeckx’s art across different mediums. Whether on canvas, in carpet design, or as part of a photographic collaboration, her signature remains unmistakable. One of her most unique projects emerged through her participation in Eric Ceccarini’s globally recognized Painters Project. Selected from a waiting list of over a hundred artists, she was invited to paint directly onto nude models for a series of photographic works. Her contribution to the project took place in Ibiza and has since been exhibited internationally — from Spa to Saint-Tropez, with future showings in Antwerp and New York. These collaborations have expanded her audience while challenging her to adapt her abstract vocabulary to new, living canvases.
Another notable extension of her work came through her partnership with Ancré Rugs. Invited to translate her visual style into textile design, she created the “Roger” carpet, a piece defined by its organic contours and expressive lines. The design, available in eight colorways, drew immediate interest from Belgian design icon Rik Ruebens and is being featured in RR Interieur in Knokke. Loeckx’s contribution to the intersection of art and design underscores her belief that visual expression should not be confined to gallery walls. Instead, it should permeate daily life — in living rooms, public corridors, and shared cultural spaces — where its emotional resonance can be felt in quiet, unexpected moments.
Julie Loeckx: Portrait of the Artist in Color
Julie Loeckx’s personal journey reads as both an artistic narrative and a study in creative conviction. With three children, a background in city planning, and a thriving real estate business behind her, she represents a rare fusion of pragmatism and poetic vision. Her decision to step fully into the art world required more than just talent; it demanded the courage to start over. Today, her days are filled with color, texture, and composition — not spreadsheets or zoning codes. Her house in Schilde, redesigned down to the last detail, reflects this same spirit of transformation. It’s a space where old structures meet new intentions, where domestic life and artistic practice intertwine seamlessly. Even her personal style — radiant dresses, golden shoes — speaks to the internal vibrancy that animates her paintings.
Her first solo show, held on Ascension Day at Nassau42 Gallery in Antwerp’s Eilandje district, marked a major milestone. The exhibit featured forty vivid, emotionally charged works and drew both critical attention and enthusiastic collectors. By the time the show opened, her stock was entirely sold out. From there, the momentum only grew: summer exhibitions in Knokke-Zoute, autumn showings in Ghent, and representation at Belgium’s elite Fastest Fashion Show. Loeckx’s work is increasingly in demand not only for its aesthetic qualities but for the emotional clarity it provides. Collectors often request custom pieces tailored to specific color palettes and moods, reinforcing the deeply personal connection her work inspires.
Looking ahead, Loeckx continues to expand her practice while staying true to her core values. She is currently working on an art book — a coffee-table publication designed to showcase her paintings within the context of curated interiors, documenting both her creative evolution and the emotional environments her art helps shape. The project underscores what has always driven her work: a belief that art should not intimidate, but invite. That beauty, when authentic, speaks for itself. Whether through murals, canvas, textiles, or photography, Julie Loeckx remains committed to creating art that not only reflects the world but reimagines it — with honesty, warmth, and a boundless sense of color.
