Interview with Judilynn India

by Kayly Iali

Judilynn India is an abstract artist in real life who brings her works into Second Life for exhibits. I have known Judilynn for many years and come to be one of the many admirers and collectors of her works. We recently sat and had a little chat about her artist life here in real-life and in Second Life.

(Kayly) What kind of artist are you? and what medium do you work in? How would you describe your art?

(Judilynn) I am an abstract painter working in acrylic and mixed media.  Mixed media for me includes paint, ink, and pixels. I like painting intuitively, but also include graphic elements at times. I was trained as a graphic artist and fell in love with painting later in life.

(Kayly) What is your process? Do you work from photos? Do you work from life? How do you approach your art?

 

(Judilynn) I generally begin with paint on canvas, starting with texture and color blends. I love layering for effects of depth and shadow. The painting may remain as is on canvas, or I'll take it into a computer program and further work the imagery to add other elements of grunge, etc. I don't generally do illustration, but when I do, it's somewhat surreal. I almost always work from my imagination. Occasionally, I may use a photo source for an idea.

(Kayly) So,your inspiration is from within?

(Judilynn) Absolutely

(Kayly) But you are probably responding to situations around you, subconsciously.

(Judilynn) I believe my mood and general state of mind determine what appears before me on the canvas. I work intuitively.

(Kayly) Did you have any formal training in art? If so, what university? If not did you take workshops or learned from books?

(Judilynn) My artistic training began as a child. Though I was involved in art programs during grade school, I began my formal training as a commercial art student in high school. I went on to study Graphic Design at Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Pennsylvania.  Through the years, I learned how to paint in oils and other media and decided I enjoyed painting. I've been doing so since the early 2000s. With the advent of YouTube, it's been fun watching other artists demonstrate their techniques. I've picked up ideas here and there. As a bookaholic, I've acquired a good library over the years. :)Lately, I've begun to explore cold wax and oil.

(Kayly) I also work in cold wax and oils. But for my still life paintings, it allows for more abstraction in my representational work...we have to exchange ideas later about cold wax and oils.

(Judilynn) Yes, I've seen how realists apply the cold wax to give more definition and texture to their work.

(Kayly) What is your earliest experience with art that you remembered that mark your path into becoming an artist? Who influenced you to be an artist? A family member, a teacher?

(Judilynn) I believe I came into the world with a pencil in my hand (laugh). My earliest memory was waking up one morning, stealing a crayon from my sister's desk and drawing on the wall next to my bed. I was three years old. My mother was a bit "intrigued" with my work, so she got a roll of butcher's paper and taped lengths of it on the wall. She'd replace it as I filled the sheet.  In kindergarten, instead of playing with the other girls, I would go to the easel the teacher had set up for us and I'd paint.  I recall once painting a purple flower and alarming my teacher when I painted the background in black. I had to explain to her that it was a flower at night (laugh) .My teacher would tell the class that 'Judi's going to be an artist when she grows up.'  That's when I first learned there was a word for what I loved to do. Drawing and sometimes painting, was my general pastime. My mother always encouraged me. She was also talented, but did art as a hobby. My father was an oil painter and commercial artist.

(Kayly) What artists in real life and SL have affected you?

(Judilynn) My earliest artist crush was Norman Rockwell. I'm not sure where I first saw his works, but my mother knew this and bought me a book of his artwork for Christmas one year. It was amazing. I also fell in love with Vincent van Gogh's work. The texture, color, expression-just amazing. Later in life, I would come to admire the work of Carol Nelson (https://www.carolnelsonfineart.com) and Gerda Lipski (https://www.gerdalipski.com) for their use of acrylic texture and color. Since coming to SL, I've taken note of artists like, Elin Egoyan and you.(I was flattered)

(Kayly) Whatis your reason to exhibit in Second Life? and what has your experience been like? Any positive or negative. And has exhibiting in SL affected your real-life art?

(Judilynn) I have also been a computer geek since the 80s and first learned of virtual reality in the late 80s. When I read about SL in an online news article and about how a Boston artist brought his work into SL, I knew I had to jump in. I was elated to find a place online where I could actually exhibit art and connect with other artists and art lovers in real time.  There have been ups and downs, but mostly, my experience here has been good. I came to SL with 12 pieces to show and soon started getting invitations to join group exhibits and solo shows. SL has actually kept me painting and developing my techniques.

(Kayly) Have you gotten commissions for real-life purchases from people in SL?

(Judilynn) I've only had a few people in Second Life actually make print purchases from my real life website at www.judilynnart.com. Real life purchases and commissions have come from people who have seen my work online or had conversations with me. I think my SL followers find it easier to collect in Second Life. It's financially easier to put together a virtual home gallery.

(Kayly) Do you have your own galleries? Do you exhibit in other galleries? What art related projects do you usually do in Secons Life?

(Judilynn) I have three of my own galleries in Second Life: Center Ground, Avalon town and Chelsea. My other resident installations are at various galleries throughout SL. I had the opportunity to build a sim sized installation for Linden Endowment for the Arts in 2018.  That was my first shot at a 3D build.  Most recently, I created an interactive installation at BURN2, this year's virtual Burning Man Festival. It was an amazing experience. I'm hoping to do more 3D work in the future.I've also been involved with exhibitions for Doctors Without Borders and Creations Gallery, fundraising for Parkinson’s.

(Kayly) What advice would you give to artists who is interested in exhibiting in SL?

(Judilynn) For artists who would consider showing their work in SL, I would suggest wasting no time setting up a small gallery of your work in rented shop with good traffic. I would look for areas that cater to artists (like Hotel Chelsea Manhattan NYC). Join all the art groups that you can, and introduce yourself to other artists and gallery owners for suggestions and advice. Find a mentor if possible. I'm always happy to help.

(Kayly) Any links to purchase your real-life works? website? And what main gallery would you like to direct your visitors to view your works?

(Judilynn) My website for art prints is www.judilynnart.com.  I can also be contacted through that site regarding canvas originals. The website will be updated soon to include more canvas art.  My main gallery, and one that is updated with newest work is the Center Ground Gallery of Art, Han Loso (226/30/72)

I should also add visit Judilynn’s Avalon Gallery, Tabula rasa (111/44/25).

Kayly Iali