There is a special natural light in the Southwest high desert that can occur just before sunset.
When this light is present, the red rocks, skies and clouds take on a surreal appearance. Colors are enhanced to the point of over saturation. This is one of the magic moments that has been captured in Judy Choate's artwork.
Judy Choate preserves for us the spirit and memory of the high desert and mountain regions.Judy has developed a style of abstract painting greatly influenced by the natural beauty found in Arizona and the Four Corners area of the Southwest.
Her artwork is definitely a fresh interpretation of the landscapes that are common in these high desert and mountain regions.
Contrast, hard edges and bold colors are part of the signature abstract artistry Judy has developed. Impressions, suggestions - each viewer responds in a very personal way as Judy entices us into her landscapes. Our natural and emotional responses are aroused by these memorable vistas.
Over the years, Judy had often painted just for enjoyment and these paintings were primarily beautiful, small, delicate watercolors. Neighbors at the time, James and Patricia Ratliff were invited to see these watercolors. Jim suggested that Judy might want to try painting with acrylics and to use larger canvases. Over a period of months, these early paintings developed into the pre-cursors of the vibrant, powerful, high definition paintings now being so successfully created by Choate.
Today Judy Choate has become an internationally known artist with paintings gracing households in Canada, Europe, Japan and South Korea in addition to the many paintings hanging on walls all over the USA. In recent years, Choate has been juried into the nationally famous Mountain Oyster Club Contemporary Western Art Show and Sale in Tucson. In the past this show had included only traditional Western art, but for the last 4 years Choate’s beautiful landscapes have found their way onto the walls of the Mountain Oyster Club Art Show. In 2015 there were around 500 entries from which 200 artists’ works were accepted. Two of Judy’s paintings were among those which were accepted; they subsequently sold.
In only about 7 years of acrylic painting, Choate’s innate abilities have brought her to the level of becoming a noted painter on the world stage!
”My art is created by picturing in my mind what I have observed in our travels across the Southwest and setting it down on canvas my way. Each canvas is a mystery journey and exploration. Brush strokes, color, shapes, and negative spaces working together to create vistas to explore and enjoy.”
"I feel my art talks to each viewer in it's own way, depending on the person's life experiences and memories."
Judy Choate captures the restless movement of earth's skies along with the serenity and the power of timeless land formations by weaving shapes with brilliant colors and energetic brush strokes.