Vibrant Watercolors Put Local Artist in the Spotlight
How do you describe beauty? How do you give words to something sublime, elegant, yet powerful and finely detailed? The answer is that words cannot convey everything. To understand the full impact of Judy Waller’s paintings, they must be viewed in quiet contemplation.
Waller’s work is currently on display at the campus Whipple Gallery, and her work is garnering national recognition.
Waller entered a painting entitled Essence Of Beauty in the Blossom II competition based out of Naples, Florida, vying with over 2300 entries from 35 different countries, and she was selected as one of the final fifty to make the cut. Waller describes how she created the piece as “moving into the flower, as a honeybee might, and portray[ing] the luscious curves and nuances of color, the play of light and shadow, in a more intimate, almost abstract view.” The painting is currently touring around the United States in a travelling exhibition.
“I took several workshops 15 years ago, but I have been painting my whole life, mostly learning through trial and error,” Waller said. She and her husband John are professional scientific illustrators, with their work featured primarily in college level textbooks.
“John is my mentor,” Waller explained; “in fact he is the one with the art degree.”
Not bad for someone who was essentially self-taught.
For inspiration, Waller says she primarily looks for challenging projects to paint, such as abalone shells and smoke, although she started with flowers.
Gallery visitor Jenny Carloni, relative of UCC instructor Ken Carloni, noted the paintings as “beautiful, fine detail work, no pencil lines of any kind, seamless with the background. Her precision is just amazing.”
The exhibit opened on April 5, and Waller was pleased with the reception.
“They really put in a lot of extra effort; there was an excellent turnout, the food was delicious and they really made me feel special,” Waller said.
“The opening went really well,”said Sarah Link, Art Coordinator for UCC; “There were well over thirty people.”
While Waller says she will continue to paint in the fine art genre, her focus will be primarily on scientific illustration.
“I will keep on doing what I’m doing,” she said. “But fine art just isn’t as economically feasible.”
Her advice for artists?
“Live within your means. Cultivate relationships, keep them growing, keep them alive, nurture them, stay in touch with people. Make your clients happy. Make work your number one priority.”
The UCC Art Gallery is located in the Whipple Fine Arts building at the west end of campus. Waller’s exhibition will be on display until May 4th.
The Blossom II art competition can be found online at www.blossomartcompetition.com.
