During watercolorist Judy Greenberg's 30 years teaching art, she has painted almost every subject. Greenberg isn't afraid to try new styles and see how her paintings evolve. Working in dominantly warms or cools (she chooses one for each painting) she finds inspiration in nature and the travels of her and her husband.

How did you become a watercolor artist?  Have you always considered yourself an artist, or did it take time to be comfortable with that label? Have you always painted watercolor?
I have considered myself an artist ever since I can remember, doing match book contests and painting with John Nagy on the TV with a magnified screen.   Whatever medium that was handy, from clay to paint to crayons, I was into it.  I was an Art major in college and then taught art in the public schools.  It wasn’t until my own children were in school that I took watercolor classes and was totally hooked.  


You paint across subject matter. How do you decide what to paint on a given day? Do you work in series?
I have been teaching for 30 years, and I have explored every possible subject matter with my students.  Sometimes I stay up nights coming up with lessons like light and shadow, reflections, fog, backlighting , design patterns, patterning, as well as different approaches to paint so that I may challenge them and at the same time challenge myself.  As a teacher, I feel I have an obligation to research and explore all possibilities, like gels, resists, different applications, creative ideas.  Therefore, my own work takes on many subjects.

Having lived and worked in California for 24 years, much of my work for the longest time was related to the wine country, where I was artist in residence for several wineries.  I strongly believe working in series gives me the opportunity to explore and understand different approaches.  My husband and I travel a good deal and I often paint from my experiences.  I painted a series of glaciers after an Alaskan trip because they had the color depth and patterns that I needed to capture.

One long series was called my “junkyard series”.  After a visit to a junkyard in Berkeley, Ca, while waiting for my husband, I photographed a hundred shots of broken windows, stacks of discarded tiles and sinks, etc. From these, I began many underpaintings that later turned into award-winning paintings.   



Have you always painted in your current style? How long did it take you to develop a style that you felt was unique?
My work is still changing, evolving.  The more I know, the more judgemental I am about my own work and the more new products I have to try.   In the old days I was a purist.  After studying with every artist I admired, among them Nick Reale, Robert E. Wood, Marilyn Hughey Phyllis, Christopher Schink, Kathryn Liu, Al Brouillette, I realized there was a big painting world out there with no restrictions as long as the design was flawless.  My heart is with the abstract.  What makes my style unique, I think, is my ability to find the abstract beneath every realistic subject.  I am in love with the challenge of multiple layers, depth and weaving.  Now I use gels, stamps, mixed media, stenciling and texture to achieve what I want.  I’ve learned there is no right or wrong way as long as the finished product works.  Most importantly, I’m still learning.

How do you approach a piece? Do you work with thumbnails or studies? How does your approach different between an abstract and a piece with figures? What is it that you think is important to capture or convey in a piece?
Although many of my workshops are outdoors, they are far from plein air.  My idea is to paint on a porch with a roof and hundreds of photos.  I use 4x6” tracing paper to organize my drawings, taking parts of several photos that I’ve taken and overlapping them on paper to organize the shapes.  Then when I am satisfied with the shapes I do a value study as well. Much of my work starts with nature, like bark, algae, plant material.  Even turkey carcasses and intertwined rope have been the beginning of many paintings.   Sometimes I introduce a figure over an existing abstract.  Once the foundation is in place, the rest is easy.  It is my goal to paint the whole painting at once.  If a subject is evident, it will be influenced by its surroundings.  There is nothing worse than painting an isolated subject and then putting in a background as an afterthought.   I’m always looking for a mood and movement.  

You write about art for publications such as Palette Magazine. How did you get into writing, and what has writing taught you about your work?
I have always liked to write, another form of art.  Many of my paintings have poetry to go along.  Being a teacher, I feel compelled to reiterate whatever I can to make my students understand, verbally and in writing, the basics of design.   It also helps me to organize my thoughts more clearly.  Titles are a special addition to a piece, done with much thought.  

Many of your pieces seem to be quite warm or quite cool. What is your approach to color? What draws you to work in one area of the color wheel? Have you always worked this way?
So, you noticed I’m stuck in the red zone.  I like warm colors.  I do, however, have a color of the month that I try.  When I paint, I believe a painting should be dominantly warm or cool. Otherwise, an even mix will create mud or confusion.  Lately, I have been working more with opaques and neutrals.  I am trying to slap my hand when I go into Schminke transparent orange, but I can’t bring myself to remove it from my palette.  

How do you divide your time? What does a given day look like? Do you create focused schedules or do you see where the day takes you?
In a perfect world I would be painting every day.  Now I paint mostly in the evenings. That’s when it’s quiet.  Time goes by very quickly, and it is often after midnight when I first look at my watch.  Unfortunately my day has too many hours on the computer, marketing my workshops, preparing, and organizing.  Having just completed a term as president of the Georgia Watercolor Society, I now feel that I have much more time to paint.  I seem to do best when I make goals for myself, like a solo exhibit. 

You teach across the country. What advice do you give to students who want to push from beginning to intermediate or from intermediate to advanced? How do artists make those jumps between skill levels?
Most painters learn how to paint something to make it look real. When you understand why you paint what you do, you have accomplished a lot.
 Approach your painting differently than you’ve ever done before.

Be prepared to paint beyond reporting what you see, but how it makes you feel.  Paint every day if possible. Choose a master painter that you admire, like Picasso or Monet and paint one painting in his style. You will learn something. Study only with an artist whose work excites you.  Approach your painting in a different way; paint over an underpainting, use large brushes, pour color.  Change the viewpoint to a birds-eye view or enlarge a subject.  Use a long,narrow format.   Challenge yourself by doing multiple layers.  Go out of your comfort zone and choose a subject meaningful to “you”

You have been an art educator for over 25 years. Why is art important? What does art teach people beyond the tools and techniques of art?
An artist learns to see things differently, to appreciate the color, shapes, and beauty of the world around him or her.  Above all, this knowledge becomes an integral part of self-expression.  Art is the reflection of the soul, with personality and sincerity.  

To learn more about Judy Greenberg and her art, visit her website.