Judy Mudd
Louisville, Kentucky
Artist Judy Mudd paints vibrant watercolor scenes, often depicting barns and the countryside. "It's more than just painting a subject; it's about expressing a feeling," says Judy. Her chosen medium presents a challenge with its spontaneous movement, use of gravity, and drying stages, which she finds both fascinating and thrilling. Judy enjoys incorporating mystery and detail into her compositions, striving not to reveal everything and allowing the viewer to interpret her works. Raised in an artistic family, Judy learned drawing from her mother, shaping her lifelong passion for the craft. Her family tradition of artistry traces back to 1619 through her ancestor, Otto Marseus van Schrieck, a renowned oil painter in Amsterdam. Judy's creative process begins with gathering reference material during excursions, where she sketches and photographs various scenes. She operates from her primary studio in the spacious basement of her home, along with a mobile setup for outdoor or classroom sessions. Beyond her practice, Judy conducts painting workshops and classes, watches sports, and enjoys dining out with her family.
Artist Statement
I paint in all water-media (acrylic, gouache, casein, watercolor) with watercolor being my primary choice. There is nothing like the translucency, flow, and blending of color that watercolor offers. Watercolor keeps me challenged with its spontaneous movement, use of gravity, drying stages, and timing. Getting those attributes to work together is both fascinating and thrilling. While I usually save gouache and casein for sketch studies, many subjects work well in both watercolor and acrylic and I enjoy exploring and exploiting both mediums to see how I can use their best features.
Whatever the subject, no matter the medium, capturing emotion and atmosphere is key. They say "color is king" but I find using a variety of values and edges helps express feeling and emotion in paintings. I love both a bit of mystery and detail in my paintings, so while I strive to not tell everything and let the viewer participate in the interpretation of my work, at the same time, I love a punch of detail where the painting pulls you in and captures your attention.
I grew up in an artistic family. My mother, Juanita Watkins Moore was an oil and acrylic painter and exposed me to drawing at an early age. I thought it only natural for people to have easels as part of their home furniture. Art is a family tradition that has been traced back to at least 1619 when an ancestor, Otto Marseus van Schrieck of Amsterdam was a sought-after oil painter and instructor.
While I enjoy the challenge of painting a variety of subjects, my favorites are landscapes and portraits. I usually have 2 or 3 paintings in process at a time. Capturing emotion and atmosphere is key and for that reason, I enjoy plein-air painting. I will often sketch a concept or start a painting on location which enables me to study and explore various atmospheric elements. Years of doing this enables me to add these elements to all of my paintings, even those painted solely in the studio.
An award-winning artist and workshop instructor, I teach weekly watercolor painting classes, conduct several workshops each year and have a distance-learning website where I offer watercolor video lessons for students around the globe. I love being able to share my passion of creating art with others and have found it truly can change lives.
Whatever the subject, no matter the medium, capturing emotion and atmosphere is key. They say "color is king" but I find using a variety of values and edges helps express feeling and emotion in paintings. I love both a bit of mystery and detail in my paintings, so while I strive to not tell everything and let the viewer participate in the interpretation of my work, at the same time, I love a punch of detail where the painting pulls you in and captures your attention.
I grew up in an artistic family. My mother, Juanita Watkins Moore was an oil and acrylic painter and exposed me to drawing at an early age. I thought it only natural for people to have easels as part of their home furniture. Art is a family tradition that has been traced back to at least 1619 when an ancestor, Otto Marseus van Schrieck of Amsterdam was a sought-after oil painter and instructor.
While I enjoy the challenge of painting a variety of subjects, my favorites are landscapes and portraits. I usually have 2 or 3 paintings in process at a time. Capturing emotion and atmosphere is key and for that reason, I enjoy plein-air painting. I will often sketch a concept or start a painting on location which enables me to study and explore various atmospheric elements. Years of doing this enables me to add these elements to all of my paintings, even those painted solely in the studio.
An award-winning artist and workshop instructor, I teach weekly watercolor painting classes, conduct several workshops each year and have a distance-learning website where I offer watercolor video lessons for students around the globe. I love being able to share my passion of creating art with others and have found it truly can change lives.