Boranup
Gallery

When I had to put together an artist profile, I baulked at the idea……what would I say? Who would want to read it? Would it be worth reading? So, Rob my husband took pity on me and said he would write it for me…..”Easy I thought, that let’s me off the hook”. But that was 3 weeks ago and Rob is still hanging off the ladder trying to finish the balcony roof. In a minute I will take him up a cup of tea, but, now is now crunch time and I will have to start and write this!!!

I grew up on a farm in the South West, looking back I think what, wild and feral kids we were. We used to get up to all the usual stuff kids lucky enough to grow up in the bush do. On a day off from jobs on the farm, we would all be gone after breakfast and checking the rabbit traps, be off all day on our bikes, getting home just before dark. The day would be spent fishing for gilgies, the size of small crayfish, building cubbies or just going for miles along the nearby coasthills, magnificent country. We would spend hours building rafts on the river. It never occurred to us there could be a problem ….none of us could swim despite the regular sinking of the latest craft, we didn’t let that stop us.

We used to collect all sorts of pets, possums, joeys, goannas, magpies. I got to know the botanical names of all bush plants as Dad had a passion for that sort of thing, forests of beautiful trees, plants and flowers were everywhere, red and brown boronia and the Albany pitcher plants grew thick in the snake infested swamps nearby.

For pocket money in winter we would pedal our bikes the 15km round trip to Marbellup over soft gravel roads and spend the day pinking the wonderfully fragrant brown boronia, pack it in a cardboard box to sell in Perth. Boronia has the best fragrance in world, forget Chanel, YSL and Gucci, they still have such a long way to go! We would wait for the train to Perth to come through our local siding. It would stop and pick up our box of boronia and it was magically delivered to the Perth Markets for us and back would come a cheque. How simple it was to be in business back when I was 10 years old.

All this gave me a real love of the natural world, the flora and fauna. Country kids are resilient, innovative and very independent, if you need to do something, you just did it, we knew anything was possible! It is easy to feel creative surrounded by much beauty, wonderful sights, sounds and smells.

I have always made ‘stuff’. Made my first garment, a pair of burgundy trousers on the old treadle machine at about age 10. I apparently wore them pleased as punch. Must have looked a real sight!! I went on to have my own sportswear label for a while, the Perth Marathon Club still wear a tracksuit of my design 20 years later! I was involved in the club back then, keeping fit, running, did the Gold Coast Marathon, 3 half iron man triathlons in Singapore…(that was hot) and lots of shorter distance races, often as a destination for a holiday, in interesting places like Noumea and Borneo.

In my professional life, I trained as a hairdresser, as it seems so many artists have, I worked as a cottage mother in a children’s home for several years, ran my own retail food business for 16 years. After four years of ceramics at various TAFE’S, I made pots, dinnerware mainly and sold through the Fremantle Arts Centre.

So, what is all this leading to??? I think all of this has led to where I am today ….into the world of watercolours, oils, charcoals and inks. Being so inspired by nature from such an early age, there is nothing like a trip to the outback or down south, or even to a couple of my favourite galleries, to have the best time in the world creatively speaking… and lately I have been lucky enough to visit the south of France!!

I have also found I really love to teach painting and share all the things I have learnt with others, and be so inspired by the students…….they really keep me on my toes.

Best achievement by far is my wonderful family, we have two children, a wonderful daughter-in-law and the world’s cutest granddaughter!!……..and Rob, my best friend and husband of 40 years…….and oooh!! He is still hanging on the ladder…..best I go and check on him and take him that cup of tea I promised him ages ago!! See you all soon.

AWARDS:

2008 Harvey Art Awards – Watercolour – Highly commended

2008 Melville Community Art Awards – Best Contemporary Work – 1st Prize

2008 Melville Community Art Awards – Best Traditional Work – 2nd Prize

2009 Kulin Art Awards – Watercolour – 2nd Prize

2010 Alfred Cove Art Society Awards of Excellence – Watercolour – 1st Prize

2010 Alfred Cove Art Society Awards of Excellence – People’s Choice

2010 Melville Community Art Awards – Unusual Design/Composition

2011 Recipiant of the ‘Henry Malouf Scholarship’ January 2011.

MEMBERSHIPS:

Jude is a member of

The Melville Community Art Centre

The Watercolour Society of Western Australia

The Alfred Cove Art Society

Jude began teaching watercolour at the very popular Melville Community Arts Centre, Canning Highway Alfred Cove WA four years ago. This centre regularly used by around 300 people every week.

Jude’s classes began with one class in the morning and quickly grew, the student numbers have increased and now there are two regular classes per week averaging around twenty students. Jude also runs workshops in watercolour at the centre.