Judy Nimtz
Artist Statement
I strive to imbue my work with the transformative qualities I cherish in literature and the arts. I wish to depict these mysterious elements which allow one to explore beyond oneself. In each piece I hope to create an open-ended narrative, whether I’m depicting the figure, painting in nature, or an interior setting. My paintings are about possibilities.
In my figurative work I veer from strict realism toward something more poetic, creating minimal environments, lost edges and transparent passages. I’ve developed a flesh palette that is purposefully high-key and desaturated. I want my figures to be eternal, marble-like, but also light and airy. Beautiful, strong and impervious.
I think of my figurative work as collaborations with my models, and as such I don’t have specific poses in mind. Rather, I ask them to move and dance in whatever way they are inspired during the photo shoot. This allows their own personalities and feelings to come through as they move.
I carefully choose the settings for my imagery on rocks and natural formations. I feel a personal connection to the land, specifically Hawai’i, and I’m thinking about this connection in all my figure paintings. There is power and permanence in stone and the earth, and when my models navigate their movements on them the very structure of the rocks are informing their gestures. In a way it’s a collaboration with the rocks as well. My work strives for the ethereal, but the rocks keep the figures grounded. I love the dichotomy between the soft flesh of the figure and the irregular, hard texture of the stone.
I have a different approach when I’m working en plein air, where my surroundings have a strong say in my imagery, narrative, and composition. In all my work I attempt to capture a likeness of a location or subject, and also something intangible. I think a lot about time and age, the way light falls and creates shadows, or how air particles accumulate over a distance and shimmer: these all affect my experiences and choices as I’m working.
Judy was born in Taipei, Taiwan and grew up in Hawai’i. While attending the University of Hawai’i she studied art as well as geology and Hawaiian studies where she expanded her love of nature and understanding of her home. She then transferred to the Art Institute of Southern California for a more formal art education. After receiving her BFA, she attended Cal State University – Fullerton’s MFA program before completing her MFA at Laguna College of Art & Design. When Judy’s not in her studio she combines her love of travel and art by plein air painting around the world, her native Hawai’i and adopted home of Venice Beach.
In my figurative work I veer from strict realism toward something more poetic, creating minimal environments, lost edges and transparent passages. I’ve developed a flesh palette that is purposefully high-key and desaturated. I want my figures to be eternal, marble-like, but also light and airy. Beautiful, strong and impervious.
I think of my figurative work as collaborations with my models, and as such I don’t have specific poses in mind. Rather, I ask them to move and dance in whatever way they are inspired during the photo shoot. This allows their own personalities and feelings to come through as they move.
I carefully choose the settings for my imagery on rocks and natural formations. I feel a personal connection to the land, specifically Hawai’i, and I’m thinking about this connection in all my figure paintings. There is power and permanence in stone and the earth, and when my models navigate their movements on them the very structure of the rocks are informing their gestures. In a way it’s a collaboration with the rocks as well. My work strives for the ethereal, but the rocks keep the figures grounded. I love the dichotomy between the soft flesh of the figure and the irregular, hard texture of the stone.
I have a different approach when I’m working en plein air, where my surroundings have a strong say in my imagery, narrative, and composition. In all my work I attempt to capture a likeness of a location or subject, and also something intangible. I think a lot about time and age, the way light falls and creates shadows, or how air particles accumulate over a distance and shimmer: these all affect my experiences and choices as I’m working.
Judy was born in Taipei, Taiwan and grew up in Hawai’i. While attending the University of Hawai’i she studied art as well as geology and Hawaiian studies where she expanded her love of nature and understanding of her home. She then transferred to the Art Institute of Southern California for a more formal art education. After receiving her BFA, she attended Cal State University – Fullerton’s MFA program before completing her MFA at Laguna College of Art & Design. When Judy’s not in her studio she combines her love of travel and art by plein air painting around the world, her native Hawai’i and adopted home of Venice Beach.
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