Molly Judd, Murmuring Lights, oil on linen, 170x95cm
Irish Arts Review is delighted to announce that Molly Judd is the 2016 recipient of the Ireland-U.S. Council/Irish Arts Review Portraiture Award. Judd, who was also awarded the Hennessy Craig Scholarship at the recent RHA Awards ceremony in Dublin, is a classical figurative painter who began her studies at the Florence Academy of Art in 2009. Following an age-old tradition, Judd then became an apprentice to Norwegian painter Odd Nerdrum. Solitude, a recurring theme in Judd’s work, may prove elusive for the artist herself, as a further award ceremony in Spain beckons next month bringing her trophies to three this year. Donal Maguire will discuss Judd’s work in the forthcoming summer edition of Irish Arts Review.
The Ireland-U.S. Council/Irish Arts Review Portraiture Award is now in its tenth year, and in that decade we have been privileged to see the variety of approaches each artist has taken demonstrating the value found in this genre.
From the tour de force portrayal of Stephen McKenna by Mick O’Dea, to the playfulness of Geraldine O’Neill’s portrait of her daughter or the vivid expressionist brush strokes of Ian Cumberland, each composition essays the continuing relevance of portraiture. The previous winners are: Geraldine O’Neill 2015; Oisín Roche 2014; Mick O’Dea 2013; Ian Cumberland 2012; Una Sealy 2011; Colin Davison 2010; Jonathan Dalton 2009; Carey Clarke 2008; Gary Goyle 2007 and Maeve McCarthy 2006.
