Judi spent her early years entertaining guests in the lobby of her parents' motel and learned early on the fun of putting smiles on people's faces. She continues to do so with her whimsical sculptures. Art has always been a part of Judi's life – painting, sculpting, creating jewelry. As a child, her clay creations included sticks for legs, shells for antlers, etc. A self-taught artist, now she works mainly in ceramics, using many firing techniques including raku, pit, saggar, and wood. These techniques result in rich colors and organic elements that bring out the emotion of each piece. Just as she did as a child, she incorporates found objects. A seed pod might become a rabbit ear or a piece of driftwood a horse's tail. Watch for birds in her work. After her father died, she began adding birds, especially red ones, to honor him. Her maiden name was Burd.
