Judith currently lives in Tucker, Georgia. She also has a get away cabin in the mountains in Blue Ridge, Georgia. This is her story:           

    Sleeping Beauty awoke at the age of 50 and so did I! After living through the Vietnam anti-war protests, the civil rights movement, the feminist movement, and other revolutions, I was ready to advance my ideas and sense of self through creative expression.

    My creative side was waiting patiently to exploit my analytical side. To satisfy these dualities, I returned to pursue a graduate degree in textiles at Georgia State University.  Graduate school was a way to satisfy my quantitative aptitude and intuitive imagination. My thesis explored designing using algebraic expression and my work was using Oriental Art inspirations. I completed my MFA degree at the age of 55. At my graduate show, the head of the program encouraged me to quit my corporate job. I did, and my art is finally emerging.

    The cultural influences I experienced growing up in Europe and Asia define my work. Extremely rigid structures broken up by the subtlety of ikat and shibori dyeing, resisting, and discharging. My work itself can be hung on the wall or around the body as a shawl. I design my pieces so that they can be used both ways.

    My art is a composite of my experiences, my heritage, and my home. It reflects an acceptance and finally an assimilation of my nomadic past with my stable present. It is still about questioning, breaking rules and taking a stand. It is telling my story, not with my presence and my voice, but with my hands and my mind.

    My goal is to return to Okinawa to study the textiles and techniques that have inspired me for over four decades.

 Judith will be our guest artist here at the gallery:

  Saturday August 9th, 2008  1 PM to 4 PM

Please try to come meet this fascinating artist and watch her create!

These and many more beautifully woven pieces are currently available. Please call 706-632-6625 or email turningleaf@tds.net to check availability.