INTERVIEW WITH JUDI LAPSLEY MILLER (CONT....)

MANY ART GALLERIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY HAVE HELD REGULAR EXHIBITIONS OF YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY AND BIRD ART STORIES. PLEASE GIVE US AN INSIGHT INTO HOW YOU APPROACH EXHIBITIONS.

It’s been a combination of making my own opportunities, networking, hard work, and good luck. Volunteering to help with the Zealandia gallery has been especially useful in learning how to run exhibitions and building those necessary networks. Joining the NZ Academy of Fine Arts was also an important step, as I built up knowledge and experience through their regular member shows.

I know many are a bit scared to put their art out there for fear of being judged, but that’s never bothered me. Art is so personal that some will love it, and some will hate it, regardless, and none of us have any control over how we feel about an artwork. Coming from a scientific background, this is in huge contrast to presenting a scientific result to peers, where their aim is to find how many flavours of wrong you are. Now that is intimidating!

Some key advice though is to always read the submission guidelines carefully. Some shows do not allow digital works, or composited works made with photos by others (especially photography exhibitions, which are very strict about it). There can also be rules about how big an edition a digital print can come from. There’s still a lot of educating to do in some circles as to what is considered best-practice in photo-artistry. Having said that, there are many exhibitions out there that are welcoming.

WHAT DOES BELONGING TO OUR ARTISTS DOWN UNDER GROUP MEAN TO YOU?

Besides the amazing community support and friends, which are the biggest benefits, it helps give photo-artistry credibility and provides social proof to gallerists, collectors, and other artists interested in the genre but who are unsure or know little about it. The art world has some cognitive dissonance as to how well it tolerates bold and new art forms versus sticking with traditional tried-and-true approaches. Many artists and collectors want to be on the leading edge of a new way, but when it comes to committing time, money, and effort, caution can kick in. So, the ADU magazine serves a vital role in showing that photo-artistry isn’t a flash-in-the-pan artform, but a real and now well-established way to create compelling art. Just considering how many issues have been published is a testament to that.

PLEASE TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF, YOUR BACKGROUND AND YOUR OTHER INTERESTS?

All my life, I’ve loved birds, art, science, and learning, but for most of my adult life the science side has dominated, and I lost confidence in my artistic abilities. Getting back into art through photo-artistry has become an amazing way to combine all my loves! Over the past couple of years, I’ve been expanding my art by doing more painting and mixed media work in a range of media (from encaustics through to watercolour). I love moving back and forth between the physical and virtual worlds. I can take a photograph, create a watercolour painting from it, scan it, work with it digitally, print it out, embellish it with paint, and so on. There are endless possibilities! I’m never bored.

https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/bev-terawskyj/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/lynsey-stirland-mitchell/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/kevin-sims/