Camden People - The Paintings of Judy Swerlick, Artist & Educator

JUDY SWERLICK is a Camden NJ native and a painter of great talent. She has had a long and interesting career in art and education, and currently teaches and chairs the Department of Fine Arts in South Florida. She holds a B.S. in Art Education from Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia PA, a M.S. in Education, Syracuse University in Syracuse NY, and is certified through the Special Education Certification Program of Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) in Glassboro, NJ.

After completing her education, Judy Swerlick embarked on her career in education, setting up new programs and teaching classes in drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, textile design, basic art, art history, and exploratory arts at the secondary level. She also taught for four years at the K-12 level in schools for children with physical and/or emotional handicaps. Between 1977 and 1995, she lived and taught in Japan, New York, Hawaii, New Jersey, Texas, and Connecticut.

Judy Swerlick is the daughter of Morris and Rose Swerlick (now Rosenbloom), who were members of Congregation Beth El in Parkside. She lived in East Camden on Randolph Street until 1962, when her family moved to the nearby suburbs.

Judy writes:

Both my sister and I were influenced by and blessed with our father, Morris' artistic talents. He unfortunately passed away at the young age of 46, when Allegra and I were young teens. Although my Rose, who passed away at 84 in 2007, was not part of our artistic influence, she always served as an incredibly strong role model for leadership, generosity and positive thinking. When living in Camden, she served as President for both the Sisterhood at Beth El Synagogue (then in Parkside) and as President of the PTA at Cramer Elementary School. For eleven years she worked full-time for RCA.

Judy Swerlick's maternal grandfather was Benjamin Simon, well known in Camden for decades as a detective with the Camden police department.

Be sure to visit Judy's website at http://www.fineartamerica.com/profiles/judy-swerlick.html

Artist's Statetment

My watercolor and acrylic paintings reflect the diverse cultures and environments within which I have lived. I am a lover of detail and realism and have painted all of my life. In my paintings I attempt to bring to the viewer the emotional response I have to the people, landscape or setting I am capturing in paint. I fall in love with the details of the faces or the clothing of the people who are my subjects, or the shadows on rocks or the weathered wood of an old fence, and hope to inspire the viewer to be drawn to them as I am. I often paint a natural setting very close up so that the viewer will feel as if they are inside that setting.

My watercolors are done in a slow, layering process, with the subjects being painted both from life, when possible, and from original photographs. My acrylic works are painted from photographs. In both cases, generally, the photographs are of subjects I have encountered personally and to which I was drawn.

In the past five years, I have intensified my involvement in art as a result of extended workshops in the mountains of North Carolina and vineyards of Tuscany. Many of my paintings have been exhibited in over thirty exhibits throughout South Florida.

Judy Swerlick

The Art of Judy Swerlick
click on images for enlarged view

Judy Swerlick's Website