I have decided to begin emulation.


Isn’t that a great word, emulation?


It means that I want to be as good or better than an artist that I have fallen in love with.

I was 13 years old when I had my first visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.


I remember seeing artists sitting at easels set up in front of classical paintings.  My aunt told me they were copying the works to learn how to paint like the masters.




The other night I was watching NYC Arts on PBS.  They were highlighting an exhibit at the Morgan Library & Museum of Holbein portraits. I thought to myself, I love his work! I should see if I can copy it and figure out how he made such realistic paintings!  


My goal as an artist is to achieve photo realism.


So, last night I was cruising through Pinterest and I found artwork by Michele Kortbawi Wilk and it blew me away! I have loved horses all my life and as a child I filled my days drawing pictures of horses. Her animal paintings are so incredibly lifelike!


So, I have decided to emulate her; that is, use her art to inform my own work by copying hers, not to sell or in any way steal from her, but in order to see how she does what she does and hopefully use those techniques to create my own lifelike portraits of animals.


Today I started sketching from one of her paintings. There’s no time limit, so I’m going slowly, really enjoying the process and learning from my mistakes. Once the sketch is done I’ll decide if I want to paint the image or maybe use pastels or colored pencils. Maybe I’ll do all three!


When I took the Milan Art Institute Mastery Program I was instructed to use Pinterest to gather sources to use in my artwork.  I had never had much interest in Pinterest but now I have many, many pages of sources. One the pages Milan suggested setting up I called, “Art I Want To Emulate.”


I wasn’t quite sure what that meant at the time but I do now. 


Watch out world!  I’m gettin’ better!!

​Little verses Big

I was born legally blind in 1959.
My parents didn’t know about my eyesight until I was two years old.
I also lack depth perception.

All my life I’ve been an artist.  From the first time I held a crayon I was drawing, mostly horses.
I have always worked hard to create work that is representationally true.  I want my horses to look like horses and my people to look like people.

It’s been the teeny tiny little details that have thrilled me most. My eye doctor told me that was a result of my nearsightedness.  Without glasses the world was a very fuzzy place indeed! But when I brought things right up to my eyes, as close as my nose, they came into to sharpness so I drew and painted little tiny things. 

Once, on a backpacking trip, I found a columbine flower all by itself on the edge of a path. I marveled at it! I could get my nose right up to it and study its contours and color shifts. Then, when on another backpacking trip in New Mexico, I stood on the top of a mountain and stared down into the desert below and realized that panoramic view was not nearly as exciting as that little blossom! Looking over the rim of that mountain was like looking at a post card to me. It was impressive but flat. I could not compare it to the beauty of the Columbine!

Now I have near perfect vision due to early onset cataracts. I have permanent artificial lenses in  each eye.  I still lack depth perception but I no longer need glasses to drive or see the overhead at church or a dozen other things.  But I put readers on when I paint.

The Milan Art Institute taught me how to paint on larger canvases than I have ever painted before. Anywhere from 16x20 and up to 24x30. I even have some canvases that are 3 feet by 4 feet that I will use to paint landscapes.

But I still love to paint small! I’m currently working on a series of mini paintings, 6x6 inches and 5x7 inches, where I can hunch on over and get my nose to the canvas and paint those teeny tiny details.

Which is better?  Not sure yet.  I’ll let you know.

Meet the Maker.
Hey there!
That’s the way I start most of my emails and posts to individual folks.
I’ve been doing if for years. I’m such a creature of habit!

So, hey there!
My name is Judy Goddard and
I AM AN ARTIST!

I mean, I’ve always been an artist.  I’ve always known I was an artist, even when I was very small.

I spent my time in school decorating the margins of all of study notes. It helped pass the time until I could get to the real classroom, the art room!

When I grew up I got married and had 2 kids and drew and knitted and crocheted and wrote songs and performed for small audiences.

When I was middle aged I got really sick.  I had chronic Lyme disease and spent 4 years on antibiotics and pain killers. But then, literally, I got healed!

I decided not pursue my career as a singer and dove into painting.

Now I’m a senior citizen and I paint and paint and paint!  I took lessons and learned how.

I am a full time artist!

I love painting animals.  The vast majority of my work is wildlife. But I like to include little hidden ideas in my work, little teasers to make people think.

So, this s March and this is me!
And, as the caterpillar said, “Whooooo are you?”

Tomorrow I leave for an annual event called the Mastermind Intensive Weekend run by a mentoring group I belong to called “Created to Thrive.”

It’s a large group of Christian Artists from all over the world who feel called by God to create and present their work in the global marketplace.

It’s run by Matt Tommey, who was called by God to “raise up an army of artists” to influence this generation and the world.

Friday and Saturday will be chock full of back to back lectures on how to be successful professional artists and succeed in our chosen fields.

There will also be break away small groups where we will share with each other our know how and frustrations on our individual journeys.

I’ve attended every one of these events, (this will be my fourth) and have maintained close friendships from each small group I’ve been a part of.

This year I’m attending as a true professional fine artist.  In the past I’ve gone as a decorative artist.  So I’m planning of approaching my business from a whole new angle.

Lord, thank you for this opportunity.  Help me gather every bit of goodness out of it and faithfully implement what I learn. Amen