Julie grew up in the wild, traveling with her wildlife film-making parents Jen and Des Bartlett. Her early years were spent in East Africa, but she has since lived in many different places and has been lucky enough to travel to all the continents. She currently lives in Norfolk, England, next to a nature reserve.

Julie has been drawing and painting all her life, and is largely self-taught, having chosen to study biology instead of art at university. Her natural choice of subject has always been nature and wildlife. She knows her subjects intimately and likes to simplify a subject down to its essence or focus on the inherent patterns. Julie loves working with watercolour and ink because she enjoys the way they flow on the paper. She also paints with acrylics, draws in pen and ink and makes silkscreen prints.

Julie has exhibited in Africa, the UK and USA. She illustrated the book When Elephant Was King, a book of African tales by Nick Greaves, and her illustrations have appeared on travel brochures, T-shirts and cards. She is a member of The Wildlife Art Society International.