Julaire Sterbach is a local Shawnee Artist with a passion to give back to her community.  She was born in Lincoln, Nebraska to a family dedicated to military service.  Her father was a Command Pilot in the Air Force for 30 years. 

 

In her toddler years, he served over 360 missions in Vietnam, leaving her and her family without a father for over a year.  When he returned, the family was relocated every two to three years.  Due to this relocation, not only did it make Julaire an extrovert, but also left her well traveled.  She has lived in 6 different cities in the US prior to the age of 11.  During the younger years, her father would have various assignments across the country in which the family would visit.  Traveling by station wagon, Julaire was able to see a major part of the geographical landscape of the United States.  Traveling coast to coast in the car, she was able to gain a wonderful appreciation of the beauty of nature.

 

Julaire studied at Emporia State University gaining her bachelors degree in Fashion Merchandizing and Business.  She also gained the love of her life in her husband, Nick.  Once married, she discovered the love of design and her abilities to sell.  She and her husband love to adventure and travel.  She has been to several overseas locations and even more in the US. 

 

After being married for 5 years, she welcomed the first of three children.  A new passion arose in parenting.  Soon after her second child was born, together they decided to allow her to stay at home to raise the children.   She felt very blessed to have this opportunity and embraced it fully through volunteer, sports and school activities with her children.    She felt fulfilled in participating fully in her children’s lives.  She shared with them her love of travel, adventure and nature. 

 

Julaire has always loved art and has given multiple cherished pieces away to friends and family.  She particularly loves to give memory portraits to ones who have lost family members.  She feels that by bringing a little piece of the persons spirit into a portrait not only provides comfort, but a sense that the person is still with them.  A direct quote from a recipient: “This is my most cherished item besides my family.”

 

Once Julaire became an empty nester, she decided to pursue her passion of art and nature more vigorously.  She fell into the love of woodcarving by accident, and has designed multiple wood sculptures.  Her love of hiking with her dog has contributed to her paintings of nature and the beauty that God provides in the natural.  Her desire to repurpose has contributed to multiple mosaic pieces.  Her mantra is: “The Spirit inside me guides me to see the Beauty in all things and thus rejuvenates my Youth.”  She has adopted SPIRTBEAUTYYOUTH as her store logo.

 

Because Julaire has felt so blessed her life, she has developed a strong desire to give back in return.  She, along with 2 similar minded artists, has developed a philanthropic business called “KC ART ANGELS”.  Their mission is to not only provide an aesthetic environment for Kansas City residence, but to give back financial to various charitable organizations through their works.  She has personally donated over $2500 of money and items to Safe Home, a domestic abuse shelter.  She has contributed pieces to be auctioned in several charitable events, and was featured on KC Now news program for these actions.  She was a featured artist in the on-line gallery, “Ladies First”.  She is a book illustrator to “The No Trade Rule” by Margaret Earnest, PHD.