Judy Arsenault

www.judyarsenault.com

After fine art studies at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick  and graduation with a B.F.A. from the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design in 1980, I made my home in Maitland. From my studio on the Shubenacadie River, I am a daily observer of the powerful Fundy tides, the change of the seasons and the cycles and rhythms of the land. My practice is driven by these forces. Many of my works are acrylic on canvas, but I’m currently focusing on the ancient medium of encaustic, a mixture of molten beeswax, pigment and resin. My paintings can be seen at the Secord Gallery in Halifax, at Gallery 215 in Selma  and at the Art Sales and Rental Gallery in Halifax. My work is in the public collections of the Municipality of the County of Colchester, the Nova Scotia Art Bank, and the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia. My paintings are featured in the publication ‘Nova Scotia’s Contemporary Artists Volume 2’, edited and published by Dee Appleby.

Rural Connections

I have been a VANS member for over 12 years. As a rural artist, I joined VANS to connect with the art community in Nova Scotia, and to keep up to date on current exhibitions and trends in the province. VANS is important because it brings together the visual arts community in a province that is mainly rural, and gives a voice to artists who otherwise might be quite isolated. I’ve participated in many of VANS programs, including: VANS in the HUB exhibitions, several of the VANS workshops, and I have a VANS E-Studio page. I’ve borrowed materials from the VANS reference library, and most recently I have been privileged to be chosen as a participant in the 2012-13 VANS Mentorship program.  As a VANS Member I enjoy receiving discounts on the workshops available, I love getting the Visual Arts News magazine and I like the feeling of being connected to a wider visual arts community. I define my work as a regionalist practice in that I explore my personal connection to the place that I call home, while acknowledging  influences as diverse as the work of Emily Carr, Jackson Pollock and Gordon Smith.

Breaking With Isolation

Being chosen to participate in the 2012-13 VANS Mentorship Program has been a very positive experience for me.  It has helped me to counter one of my main challenges, which is dealing with the isolation of being a rural artist. I’ve learned a lot, solidified my artistic practice, and made valuable new contacts  and friends as a result of the program.  I also recently participated in the first ever ART BATTLE Truro. It was a real adrenaline rush, and the only time I’ve ever had the experience of creating, showing and selling a work of art all in the same evening!

Wilderness as Refuge

My recent paintings convey the essence of the woodland thicket, a place full of dense texture and flickering light and shadow, through which one can only move slowly. They are a response to significant events in my life or in the lives of others around me, and the making of them provides an opportunity for contemplation and reflection. I sometimes incorporate images of the bird as a metaphor for the soul, and collage elements, such as samples of my mother’s and father’s handwriting and other personal materials are often embedded into the beeswax.

New Materials, New Techniques

I recently completed a new series of encaustic works for a show with Rose Adams for March and April at the Secord Gallery in Halifax.  I am currently experimenting with various acrylic mediums and other painting techniques in an effort to bring my acrylic work closer in concept and feel to my encaustic work.  I am also working larger and that brings a new set of challenges. I will be finishing a selection of encaustic and acrylic work for display in the upcoming group exhibition of the VANS Mentorship Program participants at the Craig Gallery in August. I am also submitting to various art galleries and artist run centres for exhibition in 2014.