Jude Hotchkiss
Jude is a Sydney based painter whose abstract work uses a powerful masculine energy to re-interpret atmospheric weather conditions. Her cloudscapes refer to the current uncertainty surrounding climate change.
Jude graduated from the College of Fine Arts in Sydney with a degree and followed up with a Masters in Fine Arts in early 2000. She grew up in a regional area of NSW where her early experiences of weather extremes and climatic drama left her with strong impressions of atmospheric turbulence. Her work presents a type of abstracted weather map depicting forces that are beyond human control.
A range of mediums are mixed with the oil paint to give contrasts in texture. Some areas are scraped back and juxtaposed with other thick gestural marks. The paintwork is deliberately weathered and fragmented in places to reinforce the destructive effect of overwhelming energies. Small shards of bright colour and pastel shapes help balance and add hope to a turbulent and overwhelming scenario.
Artist Statement
As a child, living in regional Australia, dust storms, bush fires, floods, drought and lack of rain dominated life on the farm. Survival depended on anticipating and interpreting these occurrences by examining cloud shapes in the sky. These early childhood sensory experiences have been re-interpreted in colour shape and form. The power of natural energies combined with current environmental and political concerns, inform the structure, qualities and mood of this work.
My work draws inspiration from early childhood sensory experiences of weather extremes and climatic drama. I employ a raw emotional masculine energy to paint a type of abstracted cloudscape that has a strong sense of disturbance. There is an uneasiness to the work that suggest that things are not as they should be. The paintings draw attention to a possible new order, one where uneasiness is the norm, and less certainty prevails. Bright colour and soft pastel tones offset the heavy black and white shapes so that tension is balanced by a renewal of energies, a re-arrangement in the unstoppable forces of the earth that may or may not work out well.
Artist CV
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2019 ‘Skywatch’ solo show Art Space – The Concourse, Chatswood, Sydney
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021 Finalist National Emerging Art Prize NEAP Standard House & online, Kippax St., Surry Hills
2021 Finalist Georges River Art Prize Hurstville Museum & Gallery & online, Sydney
2021 Finalist RSASA Portrait Prize 5th Biennale RSASA Gallery, Adelaide
2021 Six paintings in a group show The Wellington Gallery, Sydney
2021 Finalist Two paintings Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award salon, Brisbane online
2021 Finalist Wingecarribee Landscape Prize, Bowral Art Gallery, Bowral
2021 1st Prize, Portrait, Regional Show, Baradine Showground, Baradine, NSW
2021 Selected works Affordable Art Fair Sydney Online, Traffic Jam Gallery, Neutral Bay
2021 Finalist Salon Lethbridge Landscape Prize Online – Lethbridge Gallery, Paddington 4064
2021 Flora exhibition, group show Heritage Hill Museum, Dandenong, Melbourne
2020 Finalist Fishers Ghost Art Award Campbelltown Arts Centre, Campbelltown Sydney
2020 Gallery Lane Cove Self Portrait online exhibition Gallery Lane Cove, Sydney
2020 Selected works in various exhibitions Traffic Jam Galleries, Neutral Bay, Sydney
2019 Finalist Fishers Ghost Art Award, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney
2019 Finalist Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney
2019 ‘In the Air’ exhibition with Diane Berner Ewart Centre, Willoughby, Sydney
2019 ‘Skywatch’ solo show Art Space – The Concourse, Chatswood, Sydney
2019 Finalist Muswellbrook Art Prize, Muswellbrook Art Gallery, Muswellbrook
2019 Pop up exhibition, Traffic Jam Galleries, Mosman
2019 ‘Untitled’ group show. Traffic Jam Galleries, Neutral Bay, Sydney
2019 Selected works in various exhibitions Traffic Jam Galleries, Neutral Bay, Sydney
2018 Finalist Redland Art Awards, Redland City Art Gallery, Brisbane
2018 ‘Life Abstracted’ Art competition, Cambridge Studio Gallery, Melbourne
2018 Finalist Hutchins Art Prize, Hutchins School, Hobart
2018 Representation in the Ashurst Emerging Artist posting on Instagram
2018 Finalist Contemporary Art Awards, online exhibition Queensland College of Art
2018 Solo online exhibition – Contemporary Art Awards, Contemporary Art Awards
2017 Finalist Blacktown Art Prize, Blacktown Arts Centre, Sydney
2017 Finalist Whyalla Art Prize Middleback Arts Centre Whyalla,
2017 Represented in Ashurst Emerging Art PrizeOnline exhibition, sponsored by Oaktree &Tiger Facebook, Twitter – September
2017 Finalist Contemporary Art Awards Online Queensland College of Art
2016 Finalist Blacktown City Art Priz, Blacktown Arts Centre, Blacktown, NSW.
2016 Life Abstracted, Cambridge Studio Gallery, Melbourne Victoria.
2016 4th International Emerging Artist Award, online exhibition Dubai – United Arab Emirates.
2015 Finalist Kilgour Portrait Prize, Newcastle Art Gallery, NSW
2015 Finalist Fishers Ghost Art prize, Contemporary Section Campbelltown Arts Centre
AWARDS
2021 Finalist National Emerging Art Prize NEAP Standard House & online, Kippax St., Surry Hills
2021 Finalist Georges River Art Prize Hurstville Museum & Gallery & online, Sydney
2021 Finalist RSASA Portrait Prize 5th Biennale RSASA Gallery, Adelaide
2021 Finalist Two paintings Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award salon, Brisbane online
2021 Finalist Wingecarribee Landscape Prize, Bowral Art Gallery, Bowral
2021 1st Prize, Portrait, Regional Show, Baradine Showground, Baradine NSW
2021 Finalist Salon Lethbridge Landscape Prize Online – Lethbridge Gallery, Paddington 4064
2020 Finalist Fishers Ghost Art Award Campbelltown Arts Centre, Campbelltown Sydney
2019 Finalist Fishers Ghost Art Award, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney|
2019 Finalist Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney
2019 Finalist Muswellbrook Art Prize, Muswellbrook Art Gallery, Muswellbrook
2018 Finalist Redland Art Awards, Redland City Art Gallery, Brisbane
2018 Finalist Hutchins Art Prize, Hutchins School, Hobart
2018 Finalist Contemporary Art Awards, online exhibition Queensland College of Art
2017 Finalist Blacktown Art Prize, Blacktown Arts Centre, Sydney
2017 Finalist Whyalla Art Prize Middleback Arts Centre Whyalla,
2017 Represented in Ashurst Emerging Art PrizeOnline exhibition, sponsored by Oaktree &Tiger Facebook, Twitter – September
2017 Finalist Contemporary Art Awards Online Queensland College of Art
2016 Finalist Blacktown City Art Priz, Blacktown Arts Centre, Blacktown, NSW.
2015 Finalist Kilgour Portrait Prize, Newcastle Art Gallery, NSW
2015 Finalist Fishers Ghost Art prize, Contemporary Section Campbelltown Arts Centre