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ARTISTIC JOURNEYS

There's a large etching of an elegant cheetah that looks out from a deep earthy coloured background. And then there are abstract, embossed works that might be tiling examples from the library of an interior designer.

In fact all the works come from the hand of self-taught British artist, Judy Roberts. A long time resident in Dubai, Judy's work is already well known by possibly millions of people throughout the world even though they might be unaware of the fact themselves. Among her other achievements, Judy has designed no less than eight sets of stamps for the UAE which have included birds, insects, wild cats and butterflies. The name of the venue seems quite appropriate for a place of display. But why the diverse nature of the exhibition?

"My theory is that art is a journey through life and to me it is my life; it's what I am and I do what I do. I don't go away from the wildlife because it's the most important thing but I feel that it's nice to experiment. You can start on something and you're on a road from which you divert and do something else. I like to try different mediums because I couldn't stick to doing the same thing all the time. Crafts as well. I'm a Gemini which is part of the problem. But if I had to give up everything else, I'd stick to wildlife."

Although many people consider there to be an artistic divide between the artist and the artisan, Judy disagrees. According to her, creativity in any medium can be considered as being artistic irrespective of the tools in use. She follows her own beliefs by putting them into practice.

"It's my motivation for doing different things over the long period of time. I've started doing computer work as well with illustrations. At the moment digital work is something that people are unsure about and they say that using a computer is easy. You can give someone a paintbrush and a canvas but it doesn't mean that they're going to produce a good painting and it's the same with a computer. It's a tool as much as anything else, just like a pen or a brush."

Whether it be aberration, experimentation or simply dabbling, whatever Judy does is carried out with extreme attention to detail. Even the falconers whose birds she has painted have told her that they like her work and Judy takes that as a compliment, underpinning her exact skills. But while she opines that wildlife is her first love, in truth it's the long road of exploration that counts.

"Experimentation opens up other avenues and brings you onto things that you weren't thinking of. And that's what I love. You can start to do a particular piece of work, (especially if you're trying something new) and you won't necessarily end up with what you thought you wanted to do when you first started. You might end up with something totally different. Sometimes it works and it's fantastic and at other times it's horrible and you just put it in the bin."

Judy Robert's exhibition, Impressions is on view at the Coral Boutique Hotel Apartments until 8 June. And her work is for sale.