Judith Brandon was born in Indianapolis, IN in 1963. She attended the Cleveland Institute of Art where she earned a BFA in enameling and drawing. She grew up in Ohio, in a house at the bottom of a hill. Every spring, she would have to help her mother “rescue” their basement as it flooded with water. These occurrences helped to inspire the thematic character of her artwork–how nature can sweep us away, stirring up our emotions and causing us to feel helpless or awestruck. In Judith’s work, you will see a union of nature and emotion, and Golden Rule is no exception. In Golden Rule, ominous storm clouds crowd the top of the painting, only to break apart by a glowing path of golden light which illuminates the ground below it. Various words are incised over the piece, such as “Quit waiting for something to happen,” “You won’t ever be the same as yesterday,” and “The other side is love,” among others. Some are well-hidden, others are easily visible. Indeed, it seems that Judith was swept up in emotions when she made the piece, saying that “It came spilling out one late afternoon and was finished a few days later, which is extremely rare for me.” Standing at just five feet tall, she has to be extremely inventive at how she manipulates the materials in her studio. She often turns her pieces upside down to work on them in order to reach all of their edges. She states that “Golden Rule is one of those pieces that is best shared.  Its essence is: Love and accept yourself, only then can you truly love and accept others.” Find out more about Judith Brandon from her website: www.jmbrandon.com