Clay, watercolors, pen and ink

Tina

During the Covid pandemic, my work dramatically changed from sculpting old ladies to young, funky women. I needed some joy in my life, and these ladies made me smile and feel hopeful.

About

Judy Robkin

Judy Birnbrey Robkin is a self-taught artist whose work has been shown in galleries around the country and whose pieces have been juried into shows such as the American Craft Council, Piedmont Craftsman, Carolina Designer and many more. She has worked with a variety of clay techniques throughout her career and is currently immersed in a project entitled "Ladies", a series of intricately handcrafted ceramic women. As a ceramics instructor at the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina, she teaches hand building, Raku and other firing techniques. Judy enjoys sharing her love of art and creativity with others by teaching classes in clay, watercolors, calligraphy and more. Her belief is that if you break things down to their individual component parts, one can teach anyone to draw or paint or create in any other medium.

Judy Robkin

describes their creative process

I never start a piece with an image of what it will ultimately look like. The "Lady" emerges from the clay slowly. She may start out in one pose but as she begins to take shape, she will transform multiple times until the piece seems right. I love the "out of body" feeling that comes from discovering the personality created and the new life that is born.