Judith Samuel Artist Statement

 

Judith’s proximity to and love of North Wales informs all her work.  She paints often in oils and gesso on linen canvasses which she stretches herself, but sometimes experiments with egg tempera on wood, a medium which she finds full of exciting possibilities, sometimes incorporating gold leaf.  Recently she has been exploring abstract landscape, inspired by her weekly journeys to Bangor University through Snowdonia, but previously she concentrated on bird painting, not only in North Wales but also on the Falkland Islands, the Arctic and Senegal.  In illustrating her latest book ‘Little Terns and Sea Holly : three summers at Gronant Dunes’ she developed an understated, allusive style which was inspired by the illustrations of Eric Ennion, who said that the essential motive in painting birds was not to portray the species in general but to capture the essence of ‘that particular and individual bird alive before you while you sketch’.  Judith’s book was written following an intensive period of study and sketching of the lives of the Little Terns, a protected seabird whose only nesting place in Wales is at Gronant near Prestatyn.    

 

Based in her studio in Llandudno, North Wales, Judith’s influences include the clear colour pallet of Euan Uglo, the directness of Manchester-based artist Geoffrey Keys, and in particular, Kurt Jackson, whose immediate response to his surroundings and dexterity with a range of media are a constant source of inspiration.   

April 2019

 

Judith Samuel

Ladder Store Studios

Llandudno LL30 2AB

 

Phone: 07931177479

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Email: pastelbirdpainter

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Website: judithsamuelcoastalartist