Meet: Judith Walker

Artist Judith Walker’s career spans over 40 years and her work has a strong emphasis on the use of colour to explore the qualities of painting, drawing and printing. She graduated from the Central School of Art and Design (now Central Saint Martins) in 1974.

Born in Leeds, Judith was recently nominated as one of 400 inspirational women of her hometown with her name appearing on a public sculpture, ‘Ribbons’ in the city centre. You can currently see her installation Behind the Curtain in the window gallery of the Acme Propellor Factory in Deptford, South East London.

Judith spoke to us about what has inspired her throughout her decades-long career, and what advice she’d give to a recent graduate.

You graduated from BA Fine Art at the Central School of Art and Design in 1974. What did you most enjoy about studying Fine Art? 

It was having the time, space and freedom to develop as an artist with the support of tutors in central London.

What was a highlight of your time at CSM?

I won the Phoebe Llewellyn Smith Scholarship for being the best student in the second year, but I enjoyed every day there.

What inspires you?

I love colour and the tactile use of materials. I like to externalise my inner emotions through colour and sometimes by using text. Over the past few years, I have been inspired by the subject of health, most recently concerning the human gut due to my own health issues.

What’s your favourite thing about being an artist, and what’s something that’s been challenging?

Creating art is a joy for me and it keeps me sane. It’s wonderful when people are really inspired by my work and appreciate it.

The challenge has always been to be able to create art whilst also making enough money to survive. Also, to keep going after rejections.

What advice would you give to someone who has just graduated?

Keep creating art whatever.

But also, do think about how you can survive financially right from the start. You may get lucky straight after graduation. But I think for most artists it can take years to make a decent living from their work. Also, do have a life outside of art. That is essential in feeding creativity.

You’ve recently been nominated as one of 400 inspirational women of Leeds, with your name appearing on 'Ribbons', a public sculpture in the city centre. What was that experience like? 

That was a lovely experience. At the launch event I met so many wonderful women from many different walks of life. For me personally it was great to be recognised for my career as an artist in my home city of Leeds where my art education began.

What are you currently working on?

I currently have a show that I am proud of; my installation Behind the Curtain in the window gallery of the Acme Propellor Factory in Deptford. It really lights up the whole street, and it’s particularly satisfying that it’s drawing attention to the building during a fundraising campaign to keep the building as permanent artists' studios.

Currently, I’m working on a large colourful unstretched canvas on my studio walls, representing and celebrating the human gut. My aim is to show them together in a large space to create an immersive installation. Alongside this, I’m planning to create an art book with these images alongside text conveying people’s lived experiences of gut health.