About

Artist Statement:

“I like making stuff, manipulating materials, using my hands and my mind. A finished project is good but not the point for me.”

Bio:

After thirty years of teaching art in public elementary schools Judy is still using her hands and making art with children. She also makes her own art in the form of quilts. Sewing began with her mother and grandmother who allowed her to use their sewing machines as a child. She started traditional quilting after the births of her children but she lost interest after several years. She had gained skills and learned the history and language of traditional quilting but she had problems following the designs of others.

At the turn of the century Judy realized that she could combine what she taught to children everyday with the sewing machine that she loved to use. The elements and principles of design were the same whether composing in paint or fabric. The mental process was the same - only the construction is different. Judy understood that she had to trust herself in creating her art form

Today Judy enjoys dyeing, painting and discharging cloth. Beads usually find their way into her creations adding different layers of texture to the designs. Painting and printing on cloth has gained more importance in current creations. Experimenting with unusual materials and techniques are critical to the development of her style.

Judy lives in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with her husband and two sons. Her work is found at the Gallery by the James in Buchanan, Virginia and Art Elements of Fincastle, Virginia. She is a member of Studio Art Quilters Association, Fiber Transformed in Charlottesville, Virginia and an associate member of Anglia Textile Works, United Kingdom.

Exhibitions:

2006

East Anglian Treasures, The Manor House Museum, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, UK

2005

Art Quilts: Journeys, Cary, North Carolina
Quilts, Fabric & Wearable Art, Jefferson Center, Roanoke, Virginia
ATW – Naturally, Peterborough Museum, Priestgate, Peterborough, Camgridgeshire, United Kingdom
Art Quilts – Sew What’s New, SAQA Regional Show, Lynchburg, Virginia                                                                                  ATW - Naturally, Peterborough Museum, Cambridgeshire, UK
Art Quilts of the Southeast, Side Street Gallery, Pittsboro, North Carolina

2004

Quilts, Fabric & Wearable Art, Jefferson Center, Roanoke, Virginia
Art Quilts: Elements, Cary, North Carolina
Spring Fever, Mixed Media, Jefferson Center, Roanoke, Virginia
Fiber Transformed, Bedford, Virginia
Connected Threads, Glen Allen, Virginia

2003

Quilts, Fabric & Wearable Art, Jefferson Center, Roanoke, Virginia

2002

Quilts and Fiber Arts, Jefferson Center, Roanoke, Virginia
Larger than Life, mixed media, Jefferson Center, Roanoke, Virginia
Virginia Creeper Dedication Show, Galax, Virginia
Art of the Quilt, Invitational Show, Piedmont Art Association, Martinsville, Virginia

 

Associations:

Gallery by the James, Buchanan, Virginia
Art Elements Gallery, Fincastle, Virginia
Fiber Transformed, Charlottesville, Virginia
Anglia Textile Works, United Kingdom