E L L E S C H O R R P H O T O G R A P H Y

AT THE ARMORY ART CENTER | 811 Park Place | West Palm Beach, FL 33401 | (561) 832-1776

Galleries

Exhibitions

THE WORK OF JUDY POLSTRA, SHOWN AT THE
"3RD BIENNIAL ''ARTISTS OF ART SALON'' EXHIBITION" EXHIBITION

JUDY POLSTRA HAS PRESENTED AT THE FOLLOWING ART SALON:
Click/Tap to see their Salon presentation

VISIT JUDY POLSTRA'S WEB SITE

ARTISTS STATEMENT
Judy Polstra is a self- taught artist who grew up surrounded by art, books, and sewing. She says: "My mother taught me embroidery basics at age 7. Needlework is an art to which I've returned many times throughout my life - in times of stress, as a creative outlet, and as a source of meditation. The slowness and deliberateness of it.... I have always found to be calming. Embroidery, knitting, crocheting, sewing....most of the women through the generations in my family were skilled at one or more of these arts".

Polstra's mother was both a seamstress and an oil painter who inspired her daughter to create from a very young age. Judy was always surrounded by fabrics, pattern books, classical music and oil paints. She received her BA in business studies with a specialty in Fashion Merchandising, but she never lost her passion for drawing and painting. ( She's also a classical pianist.) Judy transitioned into mixed media sculptures and assemblages after the death of her mother and both grandmothers left her a vast inheritance of vintage buttons, costume jewelry and textiles.

Now in her fifties, Polstra is dedicating all of her artistry to her hand embroidery roots, where her love of drawing and fiber art merge. Judy embroiders almost exclusively on vintage textiles, including gifts from friends’ and fans’ own families. Judy calls herself an “accidental activist” and uses embroidery to stitch political statements, as well as personal confessions and observations. She is inspired by women’s issues and politics as well as vintage and current fashion. Her work has been shown throughout Florida and nationally, and published in Nation Magazine. She is currently included in "Hand and I: Mending the World One Stitch at a Time", at FAU Schmidt Gallery through February 1, 2020.

JUDY POLSTRA'S ARTWORK