Wade R Judge

I am drawn to the inventiveness of creating something new and the possibility of helping others see the world differently. Working across photography, two- and three-dimensional art allows me to explore ideas through different visual languages, each offering its own possibilities for discovery.In my photography, I often find myself drawn to the mundane: a tree, a sidewalk, or an ordinary scene that might otherwise go unnoticed. I enjoy approaching these familiar subjects from a different perspective, looking for what isn't immediately apparent and bringing it forward for others to experience. I want people to encounter my work and have a moment of recognition or surprise—to see something they never would have thought of looking for, even in something they see every day.Creating is also a deeply personal experience for me. When I become immersed in the process, my awareness shifts away from my physical self and toward my mind and the moment in front of me. The body I am typically so mindful of fades into the background, leaving me present with the ideas and the act of making. Ideas often arrive unexpectedly, but once one takes hold, I follow it through, gathering information, working out the details, and refining the individual parts until the work feels complete.Each medium develops its own visual character in my hands. My photography tends toward darker imagery, my drawings toward geometric forms, and my three-dimensional work toward texture, with accents of color and value. Although these forms differ, they share my interest in exploring ideas and finding ways to present them that invite a new experience.Ultimately, I want my work to encourage people to look again. There is something compelling about discovering a new possibility in something familiar, about recognizing that the everyday world holds more than what we initially see. If my work can help someone notice what they might otherwise have overlooked or see something ordinary in a way they hadn't imagined, then I have created the kind of experience I hope to share.

Born in Iowa, with chapters of my life spent in Arizona and now Minnesota, I am a multidisciplinary artist with more than 40 years of experience creating art. My formative years in junior and senior high school were when I truly immersed myself in the creative process, setting the foundation for a lifelong pursuit of artistic exploration and expression. I went on to earn both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Art Education from the University of Northern Iowa.My work spans photography, drawing, painting, printmaking, and three-dimensional art. Driven by curiosity and an inventive spirit, I am drawn to ideas, techniques, and perspectives that challenge what I already know and allow me to discover something I might never have found on my own. In photography, I often explore everyday subjects from unexpected perspectives, looking for what lies beyond the immediately obvious. Across all mediums, I enjoy turning an idea into something tangible and sharing that sense of discovery with others.My professional experience includes teaching high school art and adult education photography, along with completing numerous commissioned paintings, from fine art to murals. Among my accomplishments, I earned second place in the annual Student Art Show at the University of Northern Iowa and was selected through a community project competition to design and paint the Walkway Mural in Marshalltown, Iowa.Whether creating, teaching, or exploring a new idea, I remain curious about what is possible. I am continually searching for new ways to see, make, and share art, with the hope of helping others discover something unexpected in the world around them.