About the Artist

 

 

 

  Jude

 

"One of the first rules is no rules" - Helen Frankenthaler

 

     I am an explorer, often looking for new ways to combine color, line, and composition to express experiences and emotions that engage the viewer. I often push for somewhere I've never gone before. Sometimes I sketch out rough ideas before starting. But when I become entranced in the moment, my paintings sometimes take on a life of their own as they evolve toward my goal. Not all experiments work, of course, in art as in science. Those I learn from and gesso over.

     In some of my paintings I design with blocks of color and continue to add layers of transparent paint, allowing the under layers to shine through. The tools I use depend on the design, ranging from a wide variety of brush sizes to straight edges, sponges, or simply pouring paint in puddles to dry.

     My goal throughout is to convey a sense of emotional energy, whether it be peaceful and calm or dynamic and joyous.

 

   

Biography

 

     Jude grew up in rural Nebraska and currently lives and paints in Lincoln. She studied biology and art for a BS from UNL before studying portraiture at the Art Students League of New York. Jude then earned a Masters in Scientific Illustration at the University of Arizona, illustrating a book on extinct mammals for her thesis. After moving back to Lincoln, she freelanced as a illustrator and developed her skills with watercolor and abstraction. The recent book "Flying Free" (2020) showcases some of her widely acclaimed crane art. Her artistic journey has been reported in Nebraska Life magazine and other media.

     Jude is a signature member of the International Society of Experimental Artists. She has won many awards, and her work has been shown nationally and internationally. Her solo show, The Great Migration: A Celebration of Sandhill Cranes in Nebraska is at the Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln from January through June 19, 2021. It includes 36 paintings and collages, including some uniquely colorful and fanciful birds.

     While her background includes artistic realism, Jude has been working primarily in abstract expressionism  for the last several years.

 

Solo Exhibitions

2023: Prairie Dream, Art Gallery, Bryan East Campus, Lincoln, NE

            Celebrating Sandhill Cranes, Willa Cather, Red Cloud, NE.

2022: Wings Over the Platte Featured Artist: The Great Migration, Stuhr Museum, Grand Island, NE.

2021: Abstractions, Lux Center for the Arts, Lincoln, NE.

2021: Flights of Fancy, Burkholder Project, Lincoln, NE,

2021: The Great Migration: A Celebration of Sandhill Cranes in Nebraska, Great Plains Art Museum, Lincoln, NE.

2020: Reflections in Time, Burkholder Project Gallery, Lincoln, NE.

2019: Figures, Cranes, Abstracts, Gallery 92 West, Fremont, NE.

2019: Cranes and Abstracts, Nebraska Club, Lincoln, NE.

2018: Nebraska Inspirations, Metro Gallery, Lincoln, NE.

2016: Abstraction to Realism, State Office Building, Lincoln, NE.

2014: Words Unspoken, Burkholder Project Gallery, Lincoln, NE.

2013: Figures and Abstracts, Lincoln Community Playhouse, NE.

2012: Prairie Inspirations, Columbus Art Gallery, Columbus, NE.

2011: Abstraction to Realism, Meadow Lark Cafe, Lincoln, NE.

2009: Figures and Landscapes, Noyes Art Gallery, Lincoln, NE.

 

 

Awards

 

2021: Nautilus Fellow Award, ISEA

2021: Utterly Unfathomable and Powerfully Profound, ISEA virtual, iseaartexhibit.org

2021: Making Our Marks, ISEA virtual, iseaartexhibit.org

2020: Pushing Boundaries 2020, International Virtual, www.instagram.com/iseartists/

2020: Wings Over the Platte - Merit Award- Stuhr Museum, Grand Island, NE

2019: Wings Over the Platte - Stuhr Museum, Grand Island, NE

2018: Wings Over the Platte - Best of Show- Stuhr Museum, Grand Island, NE

2016-2009,2011: Association of Nebraska Arts Club - Traveling Show throughout NE

2016-2014, 2012 International Society of Experimental Artists (ISEA) FL, MA, MI, PA

2015 ISEA Signature Membership

2014 Signature Membership ANAC

2014 Cutting Edge Award ISEA - CA

2013 International Exhibition for the ISEA, Wales, UK

2007 Great 8 Exhibition - Wichita, KA

 

 

 Juried Exhibitions

 

2023: 2023 Nebraska Biennial, 1516 Gallery, Omaha, NE

 

 

Education

 

B.S. University of Nebraska, Lincoln

M.S. Scientific Illustration, University of Arizona, Tucson

Art Students League of New York, NYC