The Dedee Shattuck Gallery is thrilled to present the works of Irish painter Molly Judd, one of the most gifted young figurative painters working today.

Judd (b. 1991) began her studies at the Florence Academy of Art in 2009.  In 2011, she began an apprenticeship with world-renowned Norwegian painter Odd Nerdrum, studying in his studios in southern Norway and in Paris. According to Judd, that apprenticeship laid the groundwork for her painting practice: understanding that painting is not simply about technique, but more about narrative and storytelling. In her work, she connects her own stories to bigger, eternal narratives, conveying a core emotional truth to the viewer. “I paint about my own experiences and my own life,” Judd says, “but hide those experiences between stories of the past – like Greek myths.”

 She was exposed to painting at a very early age: her mother, living in Ireland, is also a figurative painter. Working in rich textures of paint to create mesmerizing atmosphere within technically ambitious paintings, Judd has now established herself as a budding master. “Trying to make the best possible painting you can, every day of your life, seems to make a happy existence,” she says, reflecting on her time with Nerdrum.

Molly Judd has recently taught at the Barcelona Academy of Art and at the Florence Academy of Art.  She now paints from her studio in Medellín, Colombia.