Colorful and lively: an interview with Jude Odell - Cover Story - clay artist Jude Odell

Arts & Activities, Feb, 2003 by Harriet Gamble

Jude Odell creates handbuilt sculptures, vessels, and goblets--all very figurative--and often they are colorful and lively. Her pieces reflect her appreciation for life and there is a touch of whimsy and humor in much that she does. Jude is a professional clay artist who shows and sells her work in juried exhibitions and at art festivals across the country. In addition to pursuing her career as an artist, she teaches in a variety of children's art programs.

In this interview, Jude shares with us her journey to become an artist, the evolution of her work, the approach she uses to create her pieces, and why teaching is so important to her.

H.G. Being creative is in your blood, isn't it?

J.O. I suppose so. As a child, I was always making something--clearing out the junk drawer to make figures out of bolts, wire, and unidentified plastic and metal items. I would go digging through cabinets for felt, rickrack and leather scraps. I used to collect bones in the woods to incorporate into macrame pieces, and paint intricate dot designs on river stones.

H.G. Did you only use "found" objects or was there a constant supply of traditional art materials also?

J.O. Art supplies are where you find them. I found a wealth of materials surrounding me in my everyday life. The basement was my haven and there were always projects-in-progress down there--papier-mache sculptures, baskets made from yarn and rope with beaded or cotton ball rims. I had very little art in school, but taught myself by experimenting, paging through books and magazines, and latching onto any adult who would talk to me about techniques at small local art shows.

H.G. You are really a self-taught artist?

J.O. When you really want something, you find your way. Through junior high and high school, I taught myself linoleum-block printing, complex tie-dye patterns, batik and macrame I laugh when I remember the faux-leather shoes I made and proudly wore in seventh grade, and the interesting clothing I made patterns for and sewed out of unconventional fabrics. I discovered clay in high school and took some throwing lessons. I practiced at our art center and handbuilt clay pieces in my room at home.

H.G. Did you go to college?

J.O. Yes, I started out in the ceramics program at University of Tennessee, where I continued throwing and learned kiln construction and glaze calculation. I found myself becoming more and more immersed in the Appalachian culture surrounding me in east Tennessee.

After a year, I quit school to live in the mountains of Virginia to learn weaving, quilting, rug braiding, oak-split basketry and other traditional crafts from the locals, and on my own. I was thoroughly intrigued by the ingenuity and self-sufficiency of the traditions of people who had figured out how to make what they needed or wanted--or how to do without. During that time, I worked with kids in the community center of a coal-mining town called Appalachia. I also started picking up banjo playing, mountain singing and traditional dance.

H.G. Did you return to school?

J.O. I went back--this time to Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. After art foundation, I studied ceramics, woodworking and sculpture, before enrolling in the art education department. I began to think that a job would be a wonderful thing to have after graduation. Upon completing my BFA in crafts and art education, my strong desire to explore and learn about people, cultures, art and music put my teaching career on hold.

H.G. Where did your journey lead you next?

J.O. To many places and through a variety of experiences. I spent a year crewing on sailboats in the Caribbean and the next five in New Orleans listening to and playing music, learning local cultural dance styles, and working in a variety of jobs--including production manager of a ceramic Mardi Gras mask company, loftsman, boat builder, and teacher for summer and after-school programs.

H.G. When did you, if you'll excuse the expression, settle down and begin pursuing a career as a full-time ceramic artist?

J.O. There is nothing settled down about being a professional artist. It's an ever-changing and challenging journey. While I was in New Orleans, I began making and selling my own clay work. After several years of maintaining part-time jobs, my work was successful enough to become my full-time profession, which it has now been for 14 years.

H.G. You continue to teach, don't you?

J.O. I really missed the exuberance and enthusiasm of children involved in the art experience. About nine years ago, I began teaching again in various programs. Currently, I teach inner-city children in after-school programs through the Indianapolis Art Center and work in the school and summer programs for Young Audiences of Indiana.

H.G. Tell us about these programs.

J.O. In these programs, I think in terms of expanding the kids' experiences and frames of mind. I base art lessons on images of artwork of various cultures and work by artists with individualized ideas or points of view. I want the kids to be aware that there's a wide world out there that includes many different visual traditions and ideas, cultural lifestyles, and ways of looking at things.