Featured Artist - Judi Lapsley Miller

SINGING TUI

TUI SINGING IN THE RAIN

HER MYSTERY (tui)

HIS MAGNIFICENCE (tui)

THE WEB OF LIFE (toutouwai)

THE EARLY BIRDS (toutouwai)

KAKA FLEDGLING

Meet your artist Judi Lapsley Miller

Wellington New Zealand

Website : www.artbyjlm.com

www.skrark.com

I’m a photo artist focusing on native birds from Wellington, the biophilic capital of Aotearoa-New Zealand. We’re one of the few cities in the world where biodiversity is increasing, and I’m incredibly fortunate to have endless sources of inspiration locally. I wear many hats, from scientist to conservationist to artist, and I always have multiple projects on the go. On the art side, I create and sell fine-art photo-artistic prints, both online and in galleries throughout New Zealand. I’ve recently expanded to create a range of gorgeous photographic wildlife prints under the brand “Skrark Art,” which is a creative collaboration with my husband Linton. Either of us could have taken the photo, but I do the editing.

How did you become interested/get started in Photo Artistry and what inspires you or gives you inspiration to create your art?

I’ve always been interested in photography, but I only got seriously into wildlife photography when a friend encouraged me to come on a photography tour in the Galapagos in 2014. I figured there was no point doing that without a decent camera, so I acquired a mirrorless 4/3rds and loved it. Later that year, I was first introduced to photo artistry in a workshop run by photographer Shona Jaray. I thought it intriguing but, at the time, didn’t take it further than a simple composite. I picked up a deal on one of Sebastian Michaels’ online courses about a year later. I loved how it enabled me to take my wildlife photography further and differentiate my work from my wildlife photographer friends. So I signed up for more, and more, and more of his courses. I loved how the photo-artistic approach encouraged me to break the strict rules of pure wildlife photography that stifle creativity, in my opinion. It also allowed me to create from the sofa, where I find myself most of the time due to some boring medical issues.

What inspires you or gives you inspiration to create your art ?

For many years now, I’ve been a conservation volunteer and an advocate for wildlife at our local nature sanctuary, Zealandia. I’ve done everything from hands-on conservation with kākā parrots, to assisting with marketing and communications, to encouraging visitors to sniff kākāpō parrot poo! I’m inspired to tell fanciful stories about our endangered wildlife and wildspaces as it helps me reach a broader range of people and to relate to them at an emotional level. This is quite different from regular wildlife comms, where it’s more about education and facts.

Do you have a certain approach to creating your art?

Invariably it starts with a photo of a bird. But the results range from the real to the surreal. Sometimes the piece calls for a simple approach. Other times what’s needed is the full photo-artistic arsenal resulting in hundreds of components and layers. But even my “realistic” artworks are usually highly manipulated, even if it doesn’t look like it. I felt I’d succeeded when someone told me that she loved how my wildlife photography didn’t look over-processed! Is it a photo or is it a painting? That’s a question I’m also often asked about my more painterly pieces, to which the answer is usually “yes.”

What does your art mean to you? On the one hand, it’s all about telling stories about the birds I love so that I can share what I feel with others. But I know that the story I tell is not always the story others will find in my pieces – it’s all in the eye of the beholder. To bring joy to others is what gives me the most meaning. I love it when customers tell me why they’re buying a piece. For many, it reflects a special encounter they had with that species. For others, it’s a deeply personal resonance with a loved one who has passed. This is particularly true for pieces featuring the ruru and pīwakawaka, which are birds that many feel hold the spirits of their loved ones.

Do you think since starting in Photo Artistry it has changed you and if so, how?

I’ve always had a creative side, but it took a back seat as I pursued a career in science and data analysis for decades. Even though there is still much creativity within the sciences, it’s not quite the same. It took a long time to identify as an artist, and I never intended it to become anything more than a hobby. But after completing Sebastian Michaels’ AWAKE course, I realised I had the toolkit to make a go of becoming a professional artist, so I went for it. At times it’s been hard work, but it has brought incredible joy, amazing new friendships, and some fantastic opportunities. I also, perhaps strangely, love the business side of being an artist. As a sole proprietor, you have to be a jack of all trades and learn many new skills, all of which can have spin-off benefits elsewhere.

Is there anyone that you draw inspiration from?

Photo-artists Julienne Kost, Brooke Shaden, and Billa Bozen have heavily influenced my work. I’ve always been especially drawn to surrealistic and impressionistic artists like van Gogh, Dali, and Seraphine Pick. But it’s the birds themselves that give me the most inspiration. Their colour palettes, personalities, and antics are all endlessly inspiring.

Where do you see (or hope to see) your art taking you in the future? What are your next steps?

My current approach is not to have many long-term aims. Especially during this time of covid, it’s more important to be flexible and pivot to new opportunities in the face of exhibition cancellations, closed galleries, and the like. I’m pushing more into mixed media these days, when I have time, as a way of extending photo-artistry into new realms. I love experimenting with complex framing, encaustics, image-transfer mono-printing, and embellishing Giclee prints. Sometime in the not-so-distant future, it’s likely I’ll become a full-time artist because I need more time to create, but I’m not quite there yet.