Editor's Note: When costumers retire, they don’t really retire…they just find a new way to channel their creativity! Pam Markel, immediate past president of the NCA, is contributing a column to NCA Today that highlights the activities of retired members. In this edition, she describes the creative endeavors of Judi Cain.
Until her 61st Birthday, Judi Cain did not think of herself as a “Real” Artist. Judi owned and operated Center Stage Costumes & Magic in Gainesville, Florida. Her 10,000 square foot store offered everything from costumes, makeup, magic and magic shows, and even poetry readings. It was Judi’s creative endeavor that she, like the rest of us, put 100% of her energy and time into. Judi and her staff over the years, won several Grand International Showcases and many other NCA wards for costuming. 2009 was the final curtain for this thriving Gainesville store. And so began her artistic journey.
After closing Center Stage, she traveled to Europe, searching out her dream of seeing the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Judi said, “I always thought that if I could go to Paris and visit the Louvre I could definitely be a real artist.” After making friends with a lady from Belgium, Judi spent 3 weeks in Europe, visiting the Reich Museum, the Van Gough Museum and sketching in the park, among the most beautiful scenery in the world.
After Europe, she began to promote and enjoy her artistic talent. Judi joined three artist co-ops, bought a tent and display, a trailer and did outdoor art festivals. She served on the board of directors for the Gainesville Fine Arts Association as well as the Cedar Keyhole Artists Co-op.
To show you how passionate Judi was about her art and her new freedom, she completed 198 paintings in 2015 (99 of them in the first 99 days of 2015), 128 paintings in 2016 and at that point stopped counting. She went on to portraits of people, pets, trees, landscapes, still life, flowers and abstract art. She entered Jerry Artarama’s International Self Portrait contest and won first place.
Judi Cain’s life is full of interesting creative endeavors; painting with every medium imaginable, writing poetry and going to poetry jams, photography, making collages, sculpting and on and on and on. The local Farmers Market provides inspiration for her various art projects.
Currently, as Judi approaches “Octogenarian” status, as she calls it, she is working with a friend on a Coffee table book with her photos from the local market. She plans to call it “Market People”.
Says Judi, “I celebrate every day that I wake up! And not only that I wake up, but also that I can still see, hear, taste, touch and smell, walk and talk and remember most things.
A week ago, Judi Cain’s art piece call “Inception”, was accepted to the WUFT Artistry in Motion Artists showcase exhibit at the MCA’s (Marion Cultural Alliance) The Brick City Center for the Arts Gallery, in Ocala Florida. She was a featured artist in 2018.
Go Judi, keep up the amazing work. You are truly a beautiful, accomplished artist.
To see more of her spectacular work, you can go to www.judicain.com for her art website or https://judicainartist.com/author/jcain42844/ for her blog.