Mixed Media Portrait #3 by Judy Pike

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Judith Minna Pike
December 19, 1942- October 18, 2019
This portrait made using a combination of unblending and blending pastels … Read more Judith Minna Pike
December 19, 1942- October 18, 2019
This portrait made using a combination of unblending and blending pastels gives this work greater variety, softer edges, and more unified areas of light and shadow.
The woman is seen casually sitting in a vibrant orange chair. I love the complementary color palette used by Pike in this piece.
Judy taught Spanish at Lincoln High School for a short time after college, but art would become her life-long passion. She experimented with clay and reiki pottery for several years but eventually transitioned to watercolor, oil painting, mixed media, and figurative drawings for the majority of her career.
In an artist’s statement around one of her solo shows featuring a group of mixed-media figurative pieces, Judy discussed her creative process.
'We are all more than one thing,’ said Judy, who encourages her models to play with different personas when they pose. ‘People are complicated and that’s what I try to capture in my work. Gestures, features, mood, clothing, choice, and facial expressions make a model unique and drawing becomes a conversation between the model and the artist. As I add layers, my goal is to clarify and deepen that conversation, revealing the model as an individual, not just a type.’”

An award-winning artist and juror, Judy’s work often drew on inspiration from family photos, both from her childhood and later years. Her art has been exhibited in several solo and group shows, including four featured exhibitions at the San Diego Institute of Art. In 2003, she was featured in Watercolor Magic Magazine Yearbook “Ones to Watch.”
Judy co-founded the Figurative Inspiration Group (FIG) in 2006, with the aim of creating a space for a unique collaboration between models and artists. She was an active member of the West Coast Drawing Group and curated a monthly art show at Adam’s Avenue Grille for several years. See less