Pictured, Judy Bledsoe shows off her painting, Anne's Pond on an Autumn Day, created during the 2020 Pike Road Plein Air Paint Out!
Painting has been a love of mine for many years—starting with watercolors, pastels, and the last four years oils. I have mainly enjoyed painting as a hobby. Through these years, I have had many opportunities to paint with local artists, Clark Walker, and Donnave’ Lindsey who really encouraged me to continue to paint. While painting with them, I won awards in the Sac’s annual art show as well as being juried into the annual Region’s Bank Show.
I have taken workshops from Charles Reid, internationally known watercolorist, Barbara Davis, award-winning oil painter, Perry Austin, award-winning oil artist, Gina Brown, oil artist, and for the past 4 years have had the privilege to study under Elana Hagler, an art professor at ASU. While I enjoy watercolor and oil still lifes, I have enjoyed doing portrait sketches in charcoal from a live model and oil portraits. My style is between realism and impressionism, and I am captivated by capturing light and expressing emotion in my subjects.
I like Mary Oliver’s quote: Maybe the desire to make something beautiful is the piece of God that is inside each of us!!