ARTIST BIO

Curriculum Vitae

Judith Brown

Academic Qualifications:

Diploma Art and Design (Graphic Design)

Diploma of Teaching (Fine Arts)

At the conclusion of 2010 I resigned from the full time position of Visual Arts Coordinator at Walford School in order to pursue personal creative interests and alternative professional initiatives. I was employed by the University of South Australia at the commencement of 2011 as a sessional tutor in arts education and have continued to work in this role in recent years. 

I have a strong background in visual art practice in a range of both two and three-dimensional areas. Photography was a major part of my study and continues to be a pivotal focus in my current work. It has been rewarding to be able to share this knowledge and skills with students and therefore enhance their awareness and appreciation of the arts. 

In August 2012 I was a finalist in the Waterhouse Natural Art History Prize held by the South Australian Museum. ‘Natures Lace’ was my first foray into sculptural fashion works and evolved as an intricate neckpiece using bulbs, beads and paper. In2013 I expanded on this link with fashion to produce ‘Flight of Fancy’. It was both the Overall Winner of the Waterhouse Art Prize and the recipient of the People’s Choice Award. It captured the imagination and attention of the general public, perhaps because of the use of such a simple material but also because of its strong statement about femininity and the acknowledgement of fashion as an integral part of our visual world.

Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity artist, farmer and conservationist James Darling commented. “a creation of extraordinary delicacy and technical accomplishment.  It participates in the European tradition of the protective mantle while employing non-precious Australian materials, the fragile coating of the disdained Watsonia bulb, leaves and paper. Invoking the cycle of nature and replete with allusion and symbolism, Flight of Fancy is a work of singular originality and rare beauty.”  Chief Arts Writer Patrick McDonald, The Advertiser July 19, 2013 11:45am

My sculptural pieces explore the link with fashion and are constructed using laser cut paper and the webs of the common Watsonia bulb. The effect is lace like and reminiscent of the timeless intricate designs of the Belgian lace makers or the delicacy of the finest Victorian doily. Each casing is different, characterised by a varying cell structure or strength.  The melding of ‘new’ technology with traditional cutting and pasting skills is satisfying and allows me the freedom to explore both intricate and bold designs. In later works I have incorporated other forms of plant material to create more diverse pieces. We often miss and overlook the aesthetic beauty and artistic possibilities in the simplest objects that surround all of us. It is the challenge of the artist to reinvent and create compositions that appeal to our sense of balance, movement, colour and composition.

   Similarly my digital artwork focuses on creating photographic ‘sculptures’ with natural found objects. They are common undisguised formssometimes combined with sculptured textural effects. I strive to manipulate forms to create intricate and detailed compositions that intrigue and challenge the viewer. There are recurring themes throughout the series that have been adjusted by means of colour, hue, shape and arrangement. And the overriding objective is just that, to create numerous compositions by simply reusing forms by a careful reworking of the art elements and principles.

In recent times I have experimented with both these forms of artwork. This work is part of an on going search for an aesthetic understanding through material and textural experiences. The digital compositionsutilise chance combinationsand cement the loose link with surrealism where forms are perhaps suggested but not spelled out. They can be reminiscent of fantasy or dream like imagery but essentially rely on the viewer to construct meaning through their own memories or experiences. In more recent works it is both the integration of colour and the high contrast of a monochromatic pallet that has preoccupied me. 

Prizes and Exhibitions

2019                 SALA Exhibition, Living Choice, Adelaide

                        Loreto Spring Art Show, Adelaide

2017                 SALA Exhibition, Living Choice Adelaide, Peoples Choice Award

                        Loreto Spring Art Show, Adelaide

2016                 ‘Flight of Fancy’ Group Exhibition, Art Images, Norwood

2016                 Winner, Brighton Sculpture Exhibition, Indoor section

2016                 Judge, Port Lincoln Art Prize, Nautilus Art Centre

2015                 Commission for Mr & G Mrs Chillman. sculpture

2015                 Christmas Collection Exhibition, Art Images, Norwood

2015                 ‘A Natural Story’ City Library, Adelaide

2015                 ‘Magnified’ 12 YEARS OF THE WATERHOUSE NATURAL SCIENCE ART PRIZE

 National Archives of Australia, Canberra

                        ‘Flight of Fancy’ featured in all media and advertising

2015                 Loreto Spring Art Show, Adelaide

2015                 ‘A Natural Story’ SALA Solo Exhibition, Edinburgh Hotel

2015                 Finalist, Salvador, Lumen Art Prize, ongoing International Exhibitions

2015                 Retrospective12 YEARS OF THE WATERHOUSE NATURAL SCIENCE ART PRIZE

Museum of South Australia, Adelaide

                        ‘Flight of Fancy’ featured in all media and advertising

2015                 Finalist, Lethbridge Small Scale Art Award, Brisbane

2015                 Finalist, Emma Hack Art Prize, Adelaide

2015                 Finalist, Toorak Village Sculpture Prize, Melbourne

2014                 Peoples Choice Award, Loreto Spring Art Show, Adelaide

2013                        Overall Winner, THE WATERHOUSE NATURAL SCIENCE ART PRIZE, South Australian Museum

                        Peoples Choice Award, THE WATERHOUSE NATURAL SCIENCE ART PRIZE, South Australian Museum

2012                Finalist, THE WATERHOUSE NATURAL SCIENCE ART PRIZE, South Australian Museum

2010-14             Tutor in Arts Education, University of South Australia

1993-10            Full time secondary teaching, Art Coordinator

1983-92           Freelance designer, part time teacher, Adelaide

1972                 Diploma of Secondary Teaching, Fine Arts, Torrens College of Advanced Education

1970                 Diploma of Art and Design, Caulfield Institute of Technology

1950                 Born, Melbourne, Victoria

Published Articles:

Textile Fibre Forum, Issue No115, Sep 15, 2014

The Art of Found Objects, Embellish Magazine No 18, June 15, 2014

Creating Sculptural Artwork, Embellish Magazine No 20­­, February 15, 2015

The Art of Judith Brown, Embellish Magazine No 25, June 15, 2015

‘Best of Editions’, Art Edit Magazine, February 10, 2016