Judith Kowler
5 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT JUDITH KOWLER:
.
- She often gets lost in the fun of letting her paintbrush dance around the surface of a canvas, and is known for her bold and colorful paintings. Sometimes she will even wipe off paint from the canvas, or turn it upside down, to see what emerges.
- She and her late husband were raised in New York and moved several times before settling in Richmond in 1978.
- She was drawn to the cultural and artistic offerings in the Richmond area and the warm, welcoming community.
- She was a teacher at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, where she started the art department in 1992 and taught for 15 years.
- She is continually learning about the arts through museums and galleries, and always looking at the work of other artists in publications and on the Internet. She values her connections with other artists in the Richmond art community.
- She loves to travel worldwide.
__________________________________________________________________________________
CAC ARTIST INTERVIEW:
.
Bold strokes and bright colors define Judith Kowler’s joyful paintings that are born from a process the artist says can, at times, be meditative. Since moving to Richmond in 1978, she has embraced the local art scene. “Richmond has a vibrant art community, and I love how it has grown since I moved here.”
Kowler, who knew she wanted to be an artist and art teacher since her youth, strives to “play” in her creative process, interpreting her subjects rather than trying to present them in a realistic way. “I get lost in the fun of letting my brush dance around the surface and delight in the sometimes unexpected juxtapositions of colors, shapes, lines, that emerge as I work." The creative process is an ongoing learning experience and experimentation for Kowler. Sometimes she will even wipe off paint from the canvas to see what emerges and work from the less defined images that remain.
“I’m continually looking at art, reading about art and artists, going to museums and galleries, and I love to travel worldwide. All of this informs my own work in some way." This sense of playfulness and love of learning made her an enthusiastic art teacher at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, where she started the art department in 1992 and taught for 15 years. “What a joy and privilege it was to work with such extraordinary students. In so many ways, my students taught me so much as they pursued their own creative journeys.”
A mother of three and a proud and busy grandmother, Judith and her late husband were raised in New York and moved several times before settling in Richmond in 1978. “Richmond and the area around us are filled with wonderful, accessible, cultural offerings….theater, music, art galleries, and great restaurants. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Modlin Center in Richmond, the Garth Newel Music Center in Warm Springs, and so many other great cultural venues, restaurants and opportunities for continuing education, and dear friends, provide the warm and welcoming community that she loves.
Kowler, who knew she wanted to be an artist and art teacher since her youth, strives to “play” in her creative process, interpreting her subjects rather than trying to present them in a realistic way. “I get lost in the fun of letting my brush dance around the surface and delight in the sometimes unexpected juxtapositions of colors, shapes, lines, that emerge as I work." The creative process is an ongoing learning experience and experimentation for Kowler. Sometimes she will even wipe off paint from the canvas to see what emerges and work from the less defined images that remain.
“I’m continually looking at art, reading about art and artists, going to museums and galleries, and I love to travel worldwide. All of this informs my own work in some way." This sense of playfulness and love of learning made her an enthusiastic art teacher at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, where she started the art department in 1992 and taught for 15 years. “What a joy and privilege it was to work with such extraordinary students. In so many ways, my students taught me so much as they pursued their own creative journeys.”
A mother of three and a proud and busy grandmother, Judith and her late husband were raised in New York and moved several times before settling in Richmond in 1978. “Richmond and the area around us are filled with wonderful, accessible, cultural offerings….theater, music, art galleries, and great restaurants. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Modlin Center in Richmond, the Garth Newel Music Center in Warm Springs, and so many other great cultural venues, restaurants and opportunities for continuing education, and dear friends, provide the warm and welcoming community that she loves.
________________________________________________________________________________
ARTIST BIO:
Judith Kowler works primarily in oils and has also worked in mixed media and printmaking. She holds degrees in Painting and Printmaking, and Art Education, from the University of Michigan College of Architecture and Design, with continued studies at Eastern Michigan University and Virginia Commonwealth University. She is the former studio art teacher and Chair of the Fine Arts Department of the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School in Richmond, Virginia. Before coming to Richmond in 1978, she taught art in Michigan, New Jersey, and Texas.
Conceptual mixed-media pieces, monotypes, figurative and still-life paintings and drawings, have all been part of Judith's evolving creative journey. She has been especially drawn to painting the landscape. The Blue Ridge Mountains, gardens, travels, and memories have inspired her work. She states, “The give and take inherent in the creative process, the excitement of color juxtapositions, the whisper of an elegant edge, the joy that I feel when colors and shapes lock into each other as they play across the surface, are all continually challenging and deeply satisfying.”
Judith’s work has been exhibited in both group and solo shows and is in many private collections.
Website: http://judithkowler.com/
