Over the next few weeks we’ll be introducing you to artists from across the state in a new series called Studio Visits.
Artist Judy Bowman starts each one of her pieces in the same way: with her subject’s eyes.
“It seems to direct which way I should go,” said Bowman. “And it also helps me to know, is this going to be a man? Is this going to be a lady? So the eyes are, like they say, it’s a story to the soul.”
Stateside visited collage artist Judy Bowman at her home studio. In less than a decade, Bowman’s bright, textured collages have gained a national audience and collector base. She’s shown her art in New York, at Art Basel Miami, and her first solo exhibition, called “Gratiot Griot,” is currently wrapping up at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.
But despite her national fame, Bowman is, admittedly, a homebody. She lives and works in Romulus, and her artwork prominently features the scenes and people of her childhood in Detroit’s Black Bottom and Eastside.
“Everybody who sees my work, particularly if they’re from Detroit, they say, ‘That’s my Uncle Ray Ray, and that’s Pookie over there,’” said Bowman. “They know these people, and there’s a connection that they have. And so that’s what I try to show in my work: that swag and that Detroit style… And it really takes people to a place.”
Bowman studied fine art as an undergraduate, but with the needs of a growing family, she prioritized a steadier career as an art teacher, and later became principal of Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences. After nearly 30 years in education and raising 10 children of her own, Bowman decided it was time to follow a dream that had dodged her since her teens: becoming a working artist.
With the help of her husband, Stan, Bowman converted her basement into a studio, complete with a big steel work table, huge easels, and a stereo playing a steady flow of jazz. She uses materials from all over the world to create vibrant, detailed art that exalts Black culture in the US.
“I feel a sense of comfort, a sense of ease,” Bowman said among dozens of canvases and scraps of colorful paper. “It keeps me grounded and in knowing which direction I need to go in my spirit and in my soul… That’s one of the reasons I don’t want to leave.”
And so far, staying rooted has worked well for Bowman. She was able to escape to her studio during the pandemic. When Bowman’s mother was no longer able to live on her own, she moved into the Romulus house, which became an unexpected fountain of inspiration.
“She was a great influence on my work… She was in a whole lot of my work, and she became like a muse to me,” Bowman said.
After years leading separate lives, moving back in together allowed Bowman to get to know her mom on a new level. She became an important part of Bowman’s artistic process, often providing critiques and asking questions about works-in-progress. And although she passed away a few months ago, Bowman says her mother’s presence and memory remains integral to the art.
“She’s a part of my story now,” said Bowman. “Sometimes it seems like… after a person is gone, they might not be as important to you, your everyday life. But she is… and the memory of her is kind of leading and directing my work – just like my past memories of how I grew up and the time that I had with her… I still want that to be reflected in my art. And, you know, I may even do a piece about her and how I’m feeling right now in her presence. So this is my history… and it’s directing which way I go and what I do.”
Hear the full interview with Judy Bowman on this episode of Stateside.
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