Judy Randolph

Judy Rudolf

My love for art has been with me since I was 17 years old. My first art project was created by using food products, such as ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, flour and anything with color and adhesive qualities. These paintings were a great source of conversation. Later as a working person, I was finally able to buy art materials, but my interests in alternative forms never wained. Art projects containing resins, spray paint and tissues soon surfaced.

In 1969 my husband and I bought a large one room school house, a real fixer upper. The building was with out windows, doors and had been vacant for 5 years. Vandalism prevailed. With minimal financial sources, we needed to be creative in our methods to close the building to the elements. We acquired used glass from a recycling warehouse, bought leaded glass caining and with cooper foil, I made 52 windows and various glass inserts for doors. Many of these works included glue chipping, reverse paintings on glass and engravings on glass. Raising a family in the midst of this work also pointed out a need to teach some of these skills to others.

So 4H and it’s club members became my first foray into teaching. I soon started teaching in after school programs. I taught for the San Joaquin County School District, the County Department of Education and the Lincoln School District and 2 years for the Hutchins Square and it’s Children’s Art program. The merits of art in school is sadly overlooked. Most of the children enrolled in after school programs are unwilling participants. I was warned that projects would mostly likely fall short of anticipated goals, as essentially I was to just be a glorified baby sitter. Nothing could be farther from the truth. For example at Lincoln Senior Elementary, I had 88 students enrolled in 3 classes. I didn’t have an assistant. In one semester we had an art show that showcased only the students best art. In the gymnasium my husband and I hung 422 posters of completed work. Each poster contained 2 to 3 paintings. It took us 22 hours just to hang the paintings. The principal allowed the paintings to show for 2 months. It was originally planned to remove the paintings 1/2 hour after the show. These paintings came from “latch key kids.” The first day many of them were disruptive and dis-interested in anything about art. Within days however we noticed that the kids started racing to the classroom and also begged to stay at the end of the hour. Soon they reflected pride in their works and this attitude started carrying over to their other classes. I suddenly started having other teachers looking in on us to find out what in the world was going on. The students pride in art exploded into attentiveness in their other endeavors. The children became so creative, that I sometimes wondered who was learning from whom.

My interests currently include membership in the Tidewater Art Gallery in Stockton, Ca. I’ve had two recent Gallery showings at the Hutchins Square, in Lodi Ca. Past one man shows at the Stockton Record, and I have been featured in the Linden Garden Club. I have also shown my art in Sacramento, Ca. at the 2nd Saturday Art Walk events. I have many preferences, Watercolor, Mixed Medium, Oils, Pen and Inks, Acrylics, and Reverse Paintings on Glass. : Thanks for reading…JAR…