Judy Volkmann

Judy Volkmann grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts, and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Painting and Art Education from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. She has received numerous awards, including the Ellen Batell Stoeckel Fellowship to study at Yale Summer School of Music and Art in Norfolk, Connecticut. It was during that summer, inspired by the abstract painters there, when she began to explore abstraction in her figurative work.

For over twenty years, Volkmann’s art has focused mainly on the human figure and expressionism. She enjoys painting commissioned portraits for her clients, and has had her work displayed in galleries throughout the Northeastern region of the United States. Her art is in private collections in Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Maine, Pennsylvania, Florida, Idaho and California.

After living and working in New York City for over ten years, she recently relocated to Providence, Rhode Island.

Artist Statement

My artwork depicts humanity, and how physical, emotional and societal influences shape us into who we are. The figures and portraits represented are often in states of being reflective, engaged, celebratory, or confrontational. In my process of painting the figures, my aim is to capture movement, and the physical characteristics and psychological aspects of being human. A sense of place and time are purposely void, creating an atmosphere expressive of the internal and external world of being. I want the spirit and energy of life in the work to impact the viewer toward an experience, and raise awareness to a condition or moment.

Here are a few examples of her work.