Fearless Friday – Judy Atchison Campbell June 13, 2008

Welcome to another edition of Fearless Friday! (I’ve already lost count, that’s a good thing!) I’m excited about interviewing one of the artists I met at The Fairy Society, Judy Atchison Campbell. I was immediately impressed with Judy for two reasons. First, she jumped right in to offer help and advice to a beginner like me and second, with photos of a mural that she has done for a local children’s facility in her profile there. Add to that the sculptures that have come out of the characters in her paintings and you can see how she easily became one of my most admired women.

We’re all too familiar with the term “starving artist,” which implies that it is difficult to make a living as an artist. Judy proves otherwise and makes it sound as typical as any other job. I normally don’t include lengthy bios but Judy’s is inspiring and fascinating. It must be included to complete the story. Enjoy this glimpse into the world of a successful artist and please join me in wishing her continued success.

Judy’s website info is listed within the bio and interview. She also has a new OOAK piece up for sale. This piece is the result of a wonderful tutorial that Judy posted and shared at The Fairy Society. As she tells us below, it’s rare for her to sell her sculptures! Take a look at this opportunity to own one:

The Little Mermaid #119

This is a new auction site, and Judy’s work is featured in one of their video ads:

MagnoliaLane

Born and raised in a small town in rural Missouri, Judy Atchison Campbell began her career in art at a very early age. Creating one of a kind artist renderings for decorations in yards, school plays, and sketches for T-shirts, she was rarely without pencil and paper or paints. Married to her high school sweetheart at 17, her travels around the world began early when her husband joined the Air Force in 1969. By age 23 she found herself a stay-at-home mom of four little girls and very little spare time for her love of art other than doll clothing and fairy tales.

By the time the girls were in school, Judy’s aspiration of being an artist was once again in full swing. She began collecting art books and studying every inch of every photo inside. Within a year she had lined a 15 foot hallway from top to bottom with her practice pieces. The end of the year found her teaching art classes for the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Department on military installations in oils, acrylics and pastels. A whole new world opened up and she soon realized that she enjoyed teaching her profession as much as she enjoyed creating new works.

She specialized in animal and people portraits for several years throughout her family’s travels. In 1980 she was hired as Staff Artist for a wildlife museum in Louisiana. While there she was able to further study actual specimens of wildlife and their habitats. Working along side the owner, she helped sculpt and create forms for the exhibits as well as designing and painting the majority of the dioramas, displays and even on occasion an actual specimen. Active in her community, she was also President of the Bossier City Arts Council, and designed and helped produce a child safe Haunted House each year at a local military installation.

Returning once more to an overseas assignment with her family, she was contracted again with the Morale Welfare and Recreation Department. This time she created outdoor sports murals, ranging in size from ten feet to two hundred in length, many the height of two story buildings. Upon her husbands retirement, Judy quit the mural business for a while, and opened her own studio and gift shop where she taught private painting classes for several years. She worked in a porcelain doll factory covering all aspects of the porcelain doll process. Within two years she had been trained as the master mold maker and produced all molds within the company.

When carpal tunnel became a problem for making molds, she quit the factory and returned to creating murals in her local hometown. Often doing custom portraits, animals, antique cars and childrens wards in numerous hospital pediatrics, she always kept an interest in doll related crafts, and when she found herself the grandmother of little girls, she began writing fantasy stories about their mothers and the farm where they had retired. Discovering polymer clay was a dream come true for Judy. As in her mind the true test of an artist was to master the medium of sculpture. Again she is totally self taught, and with the simplicity of finding an easy way to master the techniques, she also has found a love of teaching it to others. Judy now works out of her home doing commission pieces, teaching classes in all her favored mediums, writing instruction books, jotting down her fantasy tales, and still painting murals in her spare time.

murals, sculpture and fantasy art

http://www.picturetrail.com/camatch

my artistic ramblings

http://360.yahoo.com/camatch

What inspired you to begin creating art?

My older brother Bill was a graphic designer and free lance artist for various companies.

Have you had professional teaching or are you self-taught?

No, no professional teachings in any of the mediums I work with. I am completely self-taught.

What is your favorite medium?

Painting is my favorite medium, it just flows with complete ease for me and has since I was about 7 or 8 years old…sculpting is my second favorite,and something I didn’t do until later in life, but I have to work at it a lot. I love the idea that I can paint something from my heart and soul and then reproduce it in 3D if I desire. The bad thing is that I am a ” mood ” artist. The creativity is always there for me, but the moods are not. The good thing is …if I’m not in the mood to create in one medium…I can usually get in the mood for another.

another of my favorite artist things to do…..is write fairytale type stories for my sculpts. I have been doing this since I started sculpting 9 or so years ago. All my characters link in some way or another to the same fantasy place. I also have another blog where I have several tutorials, stories etc….it’s my yahoo 360 blog page…

How do you get your art out there?

My work is in museums and many public access buildings. People see my murals and usually call me based on what they see. As for my sculptures, I rarely sell any as I create most of them for my own self indulgence. Occassionally I do list one in an auction somewhere.

Have you made an income from your art?

Yes I have been a muralist and painting instructor for almost 40 years.

Are you able to devote all of your time to your art, or do you have another job?

No public job, but I do care for an elderly parent and with 13 grandchildren time is rare these days….but I devote as much time as I can spare to my art.

If you have another job or other responsibilities, how do you find time for your art?

I’m basically a ” 5 hour sleeper”….always have been. So when everyone else is going to bed or still asleep…I’m still up doing my art.

What advice do you have for other artists?

Follow your dreams…if you want it badly enough, it will happen!