Judy Hudson
“Shifting Senses”
On display now!
Reception: Sunday, July 17th
3:00-5:00pm
Free and open to the public! Meet the artist over light refreshments.
A bit about Judy’s journey…
It began with a crisis.
Most artists say they have always loved art. They tell how they began as a child or how a family member or a favorite art teacher helped them see the path they were meant to follow.
It wasn’t that way for me.
The first half of my life was filled with music – playing piano, singing, directing – creating color and emotion with notes and rhythms. Then the sounds began to fade and the melodies became more difficult to hear.
I’ll never forget when the doctor laid down the piece of paper he’d held in front of his lips, handing me a set of headphones, and picking up a small mic to speak into. I still remember the gut-wrenching horror I felt when he told me I was hearing much less than half of what he’d been saying when his mouth was covered. Tears rolled down my cheeks. It was one thing to suspect, but entirely another to have it confirmed.
Not such a big deal to have some hearing loss, right? Especially at 50. But it was to a musician. I was forced to face the fact that music (at least professionally) was no longer a part of my future. My entire identity was now gone.
When something like this happens and upsets your life’s plan, you have two choices. Give up and become bitter over the loss or find another dream and pour your passion into it.
In 2019, I retired from teaching high-school art to pursue my own art full time. Being a fighter by nature, my choice had turned out to be an easy one. I knew without a doubt that life was nothing without passion and my stubbornness was an asset when teaching myself how to create visually.
A lifetime of music, however, doesn’t go away overnight, or even over years. It has stayed in my mind, my memory, and my heart. Instead of a piano, I use paintbrushes to create movement and flow in my artwork. Instead of singing, I express my joy with intense colors and dramatic texture. Instead of directing and teaching music, I now teach others how to create in my artistic style.
I was very lucky. I experienced an extraordinarily affirming outcome from what could have been a devastating loss. Now I share my story, my art, and my methods with others as an inspiration and an example of turning a negative into an exciting, unexpected positive!
