Rebecca Judge
Website:
@bec.judge
Rebecca Judge Fatsiaesque
Rebecca Judge You're So Great
Rebecca Judge Sparky's Dream
Biography
I’m a full-time painter and have created my own process, taking gouache resist technique as a starting point. I love it and teach classes and workshops to bring it to a wider audience.
My overall vision is to create art people really like and want to own, and maybe want to try for themselves. I’d like to be known for what I do, to put gouache resist technique on the map and to be part of bringing gouache as a wonderful painting medium back into more common use.
This year’s mission aims are to work hard at making a good living through what I do, to increase website traffic and profit through art sales and teaching. I aim to work a variety of brilliant fairs successfully and to also develop more relationships with galleries. I’ll be running more workshops at some new venues, as well as online tutorials and demonstrations.
inspiration
My work is influenced by the move in 2017 from being a lifelong city dweller to coming to a small village in the Warwickshire countryside. My painting takes inspiration directly from the natural world and plant life in my here and now. I enjoy painting plants and flowers in an abstract style, using bright colours and bold motifs.
I mix this with the cultural influences of my urban past. I like to play with vivid colours used in design, particularly record covers and old music fanzines.
I'm inspired by the Bloomsbury movement, particularly Vanessa Bell, her designs and that her art extended far beyond the studio; also by Jean-Michel Basquiat's incredible use of text, colour and image. For me, the Warwickshire art community is a huge inspiration too, and it’s been amazing to make contact and collaborate with so many talented and focussed artists and makers in the area.
medium
Gouache resist uses washable gouache on areas of a painting to be kept light, then adds Indian Ink over the entire painting to add dark tones. My work is more complex and experimental. I paint on wood rather than paper which gives more depth. I use mixed media, metallic leaf, monoprinting from plants ,and collage and text to add layers of texture and colour. I apply gouache and other media then spray Indian Ink over the whole painting. Once dry, the painting is carefully washed. This removes some of the paints and inks, peeling back the layers and adding contrast. It’s very much like developing a photograph and is great fun to do! Sometimes that’s the end of the process and sometimes I will work back into the painting to add further layers.