Meet The Artist — Judith Glover

Interviewed By Leonie Elizabeth Motler.

The next person in our ‘Meet The Artist’ series is Judith Glover. After 45 years in the profession Judith is a wealth of knowledge using inspiration and experimenting to refine her artwork into the recognisable style we know today. Divulge into the world of art, find out where Judith gets her inspiration, what she finds ‘the icing on the cake’ and why she prefers Wifi over coffee.

Where do you take inspiration from for your artwork?

From plants, nature, gardens, landscape, and people. In fact whatever I am interested in at the time of making the artwork. At the start of my career I taught myself how to make ‘repeat’ designs to be used for wrapping paper, fabric, and tinware, etc. and was very involved in that process. Some years later, after a traumatic period of my life I became interested in Zen philosophy which resulted in me writing and creating the illustrations for a book ‘In a Zen Garden’ published by Frances Lincoln. ‘Garden Days’ was born out of my interest in gardening through the changing seasons.

How did you choose the art medium you use and what makes you so passionate about it?

I began my career in the 70’s using Rotring pens (sepia brown ink was the fashion) and Dr. Martins pigment inks but when I discovered how the inks faded when exposed to light I began painting with watercolours. The way I use them is rather unusual and time consuming. I work in a dry-point technique which involves layer upon layer of tiny brushstrokes and building up the colour until the desired weight is achieved. Watercolour isn’t a very forgiving medium so mistakes aren’t easily rectified. I’ve always experimented and feel that all mediums should be explored so some of my published designs have been made using oil pastels, acrylics, scraper-board and coloured pencils. A few years ago I produced a range of Christmas designs drawing directly on a tablet using layers in Photoshop.
 
What would you say are the most challenging and the most rewarding things about creating art as a profession?

After nearly 45 years (!) in the profession I think I can say with hand on heart that the most rewarding part about creating my art is the feeling of satisfaction when I am 100% pleased with what I have done. This is not easily achieved and I have resorted to ‘starting again’ many, many times. Being a self-employed illustrator can be a lonely profession so the icing on the cake is receiving messages and positive feedback from appreciative customers. In a commercial world it is of course wonderful when a design becomes a commercial success.

Is there anything you really want to paint/draw or anything you really wish to achieve with your art?

I am always trying to develop my art and explore new challenges and opportunities. Since moving to Suffolk 4 years ago I have been concentrating on developing my drawing and painting and exhibiting locally. There is a big art scene here which I love and I have become a member of Suffolk Open Studios. I have been experimenting with pastels to create large scale freely made imagery — you can see some of this work on my new website. Inspiration and other stuff on Instagram and latest news on my Facebook page.

How would you say has your artwork developed since your started to create it?

When your art becomes a ‘brand’ as has ‘Garden Days’ it is harder to change or become different and it’s more a matter of adding new imagery to the body of work. Lately I have been looking back at my archive and my style has certainly developed though. I find it easier to separate the wheat from the chaff retrospectively and pick out the pieces I am most pleased with and those that however successful were more a product of their time and now look dated. Remember ‘what goes round comes around’ though!

Which three people would you invite to your dinner party if you could.

Rembrandt because he is my favourite painter of all time and I adore his portraits, David Hockney, who would be a laugh and because he is never afraid to experiment and Claude Monet because we could talk about plants and gardens as well as painting. Can Cy Twombly and Frida Khalo come as well please? I hope I won’t be too tongue-tied!

Would you rather have free Wi-Fi wherever you go or be able to drink unlimited free coffee at any coffee shop?

Rather have free wifi — only drink coffee in the morning! Later than that and I can’t sleep at night.

Would you rather live in a utopia as a normal person or in a dystopia but you are the supreme ruler?

Definitely a utopia — we’ve got rather too many supreme leaders already.

If you love Judith’s designs as much as us, find them on her calendars here.