JUDITH MORAGA
 Judy Moraga was born in Trinidad in 1948, and is a citizen of both Trinidad and Venezuela.
Her earliest memories of childhood are associated with color, panting and drawing, natural abilities inherited from her grandfather who painted in watercolors. After successfully pursuing a career in Human Resources, since 2004 Judy returned to painting with energy, passion and discipline. Her fascination with the human face and figure leads her to continue exploring this theme today in the Fine Arts Museum in Caracas, where she concentrates on live figure drawing under the tutorship of Abilio Padron. In 2006, she studied watercolor medium under the renowned North American Artist and Author on the subject of color, Stephen Quiller, in Monterrey, California. She is a member of AVA, the Watercolor Association of Venezuela.
Judy paints every day and finds inspiration and beauty all around her. She approaches portraiture with acute observations of personality and character, within the strict classical tradition of human figure drawing, without sacrificing the excitement of the brushstroke and medium. She believes the artist and the work are truly one, and that every work is an outpouring of one’s inner self. This is where Judy uncovers her soul and finds fulfillment and joy in the solitude of creation.
Her work is included in private collections in Venezuela, Hungary, USA, Colombia, Brazil and lately, Trinidad.
Contact:
jmoraga@cantv.net
moraga.jm@pg.com
Caribbean Jewel (detail) 2007
Watercolour
97 x 63 cm
Since I was a little girl, I have been entertained by observing people. I would stare at them much to the dismay of my mother, who constantly had to reprimand me that this was a rude habit. Little did she know that I was observing the shapes of the faces and figures of the people. To this day, faces and figures fascinate me: the colors of skins, the shapes and forms, the millions of variations that exist in the faces and bodies of a human being. To this day, observing people is my favorite pastime.
This portrait was inspired by a fellow artist living in Trinidad. I met Jazmin in October 2007. Her refined good looks, simplicity and projection of self-confidence spoke to me of the history of emancipation of the West Indian women.
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Oh, Latina ! 2006
Watercolour
55 x 73 cm
This painting is inspired by the beauty of Latin women, and Venezuela’s women in particular are celebrated for their attractiveness. Exotic, sensual beauties are found everywhere. This woman is of Andean origin.
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Annabel in the Shade 2006
watercolour
55 x 73 cm
I discovered Anabel in an old tabacco-drying estate where I paint in Caracas. She and her 3 sisters are the daughters of the caretaker. She is a quiet child, with an intense look, who takes care of me while I paint. Silently, she washes my brushes, and fetches me fresh, clean water, quite unaware that she and her family are living in an estate which is over 150 years old, which has been declared national patrimony of the city. Anabel has a special place in my heart as she brought me good luck: it is there on this old estate home that I held my first solo exhibition early 2007, and her portrait won a place in the annual National Salon of the Face in the Ateneo de Caracas. It was sold to a private collector.
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Waiting for the Rain 2007
Watercolour
53 x 72 cm
During a plein air expedition in a valley of the mountainous state of Aragua, Venezuela, I was fascinated by the colors of the dry season. As I painted that weekend with 5 other women artists, I discovered a different palette. A white cow framed by dry trees struggling to survive inspired this painting. Both nature and animal were waiting for the rain.
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Still Waters Run Deep 2007
Watercolour
50 x 70 cm
When I come to Trinidad, our friends invite us down the islands. This painting was begun on top of a yatch in Turtle Bay, in the burning mid-day sun. The water is calm and deep, and the island is speckled with colorful houses that glisten in the sun.
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Enchanted Pond - Old Sugar Estate, Aragua 2007
Watercolour
57 x 43 cm
Nestling in a valley amongst the mountains of Aragua State, is an old sugar plantation, its old mill still standing in ruins. Today, it belongs to a German family, who called it Finca Katuma, and they grow flowers. It is a watery land, and very difficult to access. Some artists and I spent a weekend there in 2007 and capturing pictures such as this. Nature runs wild in these lands, and I saw for the first time, large-leaved plants called Black Night. They are ultramarine violet straight from the tube in sunlight, and black in the shade.
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