Judy Duke

 Judy Duke’s paintings are guided by color, intuition, and decades of experience in both making and teaching art. A Lexington, Tennessee native, Judy began her creative journey in classrooms that didn’t offer formal art education—but she always found ways to pursue it. Inspired by travel and fueled by a desire to keep learning, she eventually turned her love of art into both a career and a calling.

Judy studied art and interior design at the University of Tennessee, then completed her degree in education at Union University. Over the years, she added to her expertise with coursework at the University of Memphis and Bethel University, ultimately earning a master’s degree and art certification. She taught middle school art for many years before moving on to roles at Jackson State Community College, Bethel University, and UT Martin—where she also wrote an online art course.

While Judy painted throughout her teaching career, it was after retiring that she fully stepped into life as a practicing artist. Drawing on her years of experience, she now creates abstract paintings using watercolor and fluid acrylics—mediums she loves for their color, movement, and expressive possibilities.

Her creative process is deeply thoughtful. Judy often begins with intuitive color application, then steps back to study and respond, letting the piece guide her forward. Texture plays an important role, as do the principles of design, which she has spent a lifetime studying and teaching. Her work ranges from bold abstracts to floral and landscape-inspired pieces, always with a focus on interaction—between colors, forms, and the viewer’s own imagination.

Judy paints in her home studio, often working on several pieces at once while keeping space for family time, RV travel, and ballgames with her grandchildren—all of which inspire her art in surprising ways.

A signature member of both the Tennessee and Kentucky Watercolor Societies, Judy has exhibited widely across the Southeast and Florida. She now teaches a watercolor painting group at her church, enjoying the balance of creative freedom and community engagement.

Her work can be found in homes as far as New York, Las Vegas, and Sydney, Australia—and always carries with it her hope: that through art, she can reflect the beauty of creation and reach others for God.

“There’s more thinking than painting. The artwork leads the way.”