HISTORY

i come from a long line of farmers, artists and educators . . . severely scottish to a fault. my creative spirit grew from watching my grandfather (engineer and inventor) work with wood felled on the apple farm.  the value of manual labor lives deeply within me now as i connect to my past with my touch/finger paintings and rubbings of virgin timber, harvested while my grandfather was alive, before w.w.II.

during my 40’s, family and self abuse brought me to my knees. physical, emotional and spiritual recovery could only be found in learning to live within my truth. my painting came to speak this truth. at first, with a painfully small voice - a whisper in flesh tones and mauves - from the safety of the woods on the family farm. now in my 70’s, i live and see with a riot of color, feel with a wicked sense of humor and a balance brought from a sense of gratitude and joy.

FACTS

judy has earned a b.a. in art history at boston university, with post graduate work at the pennsylvania academy of the fine arts. residencies include vermont studio center, anderson ranch and the haystack mountain school of crafts. her work hangs in many important collections including the white house christmas collection, the pennsylvania academy of the fine arts fellowship, and newsweek corporation. exhibitions include frank babb randolph presents, washington, d.c., vero beach museum of art | art club, vero beach, fl. and the berman museum of art, pa. among her many private collectors are robert c. vose, alfred j. walker, winston j. churchill, christopher and victoria mc neil levine, peter beneliol, and peter mc causland.

UNSOLICITED

i watch judy - she is seeing more, finding more and is into a deeper exploration . . . her eyes become clear and uncluttered by narrowing her intention. they have an innocence and openness - an awareness that. . . (comes from) . . . her engagement. | tim hawkesworth - painter and teacher

you had struggled so long to find your place, yourself and to be happy in your own skin.  and you did it! your work now is beautiful, peaceful and serene | gale rawson - retired registrar at the pennsylvania academy of the fine arts museum

. . . inspiring. a special woman with a very special gift . . . (others) will appreciate her brilliance.  |  arlene sjosten - painter.

your gallery and archived paintings are really compelling. you look at the world through eyes of beauty.  thank you for sharing your grace. | chett breed - retired professor

[your painting] gives me enormous pleasure. that is the power of art. that is the power of you. your paintings are so vibrant and pulsing with energy. | janet jones - collector

what a joy to see your work. It and you together seem to be exploding with creative energy. If it is that palpable to me digitally it must be incredible in person!! One day perhaps I will get to see it “skin to skin”. Thank you for doing what you do and sharing it with all of us!! I especially love the way you dance between content and essence bringing them both more alive! | helen hawes - artist

STATEMENT

my need to be part of the land, feel the breeze, and breathe the flora is my soul’s search for peace.  i am forever learning to be more present and fully mindful of nature’s timing and energies. 

i work in three distinctive manners unique to each place.

spring hills farm studio | pennsylvania

mornings start early on this farm, as they did on my family’s farm in new england. i am eager to rekindle that childhood enthusiasm by becoming part of this farm’s activities - tending sheep, horses and haying fields. 

i am home here. barefoot in the tractor shed next to the sheep. i record the history of this 1862 barn with a rubbing mixture of ash, burnt wood and mud. while i internalize my memories, i seek to honor my past. my feelings of joy and connection are tethered to this land as well.

monhegan island studio | maine

island living remains a relic of its past - rusted out shipwrecks and weathered fish shacks grace the rocks equally weathered with time.

i use all things found on the island with which to “paint” - sea glass, mud, stones, charred wood, and tar pebbles. to make my work as honest to this place as possible, i leave the canvases out overnight to further capture nature’s creative hand on my paintings. 

vero beach studio | florida

i open my studio doors to hear the early morning sounds from my fountain and listen to nature’s full symphony as it plays out through the day. light dances, from 11 skylights, onto my canvases positioned on the floor. here i am grounded, exploring up close the flora from my back yard. for further inquiry and a newer perspective, i will alternate the canvas from the floor to the wall and back again many times as the paint journey moves on. i make use of the happy accidents along the way as my old, crusted brushes and fingers will tell. this is my playground - a never ending time to be filled with light and color.