Greetings, everyone ...

I was delighted to be asked to say a few words here today. Delighted because it’s an opportunity to publicly acknowledge an outstanding artist and woman and, moreover, to celebrate these two key aspects of the open generous spirit that many of us know and admire as Jude Taylor.

Albert Einstein, the scientist, who also knew a bit about art and creativity, said that ”true art is characterised by an irresistible urge in the creative artist”. I believe that Jude Taylor is living proof of this maxim for once the time was right and she had found her medium there was no stopping her. Her art began to flow and certainly to flower ...

Jude’s gift of a natural artistic talent lay dormant for quite a few years — almost like some wildflower seed. She did not attend art school and apparently had no early desire to become an artist — although she must always have been good at art, her drawing alone testifies to long practice. In fact, it appears that for Jude, Einstein’s “irresistible urge” took some 30 years to arrive and really only emerged after she had produced four beautiful children and started looking at and thinking and reading about, a wider world. While there’s no time here to consider all the influences upon her work — for that, and other reasons too, I recommend her web page — one cannot under estimate the influence of her family — particularly of her mother Pearl — or of John’s later encouragement.

Equally significant of course was Jude’s discovery, as it were, of Margaret Preston, the doyenne of Australian female artists who set such a high benchmark way back in the 1920s 30s and 40s and whose linocuts of Australian wildflowers provided the initial inspiration and a positive springboard from which Jude herself chose to dive in and strike out in her own individual style.

As already noted, this exhibition is Jude Taylor’s first solo show in her home state for ten years — the reason? she’s been exhibiting regularly in Sydney and in that tough town her work is in high demand — and this show presents a survey or partial retrospective of her work. In it we have a chance to see how her art has been evolving.

— refer/indicate the early works ... middle ... and most recent ...

... how her subject matter has ranged from domestic family scenes in the Swan Valley — through still lifes, northern landscapes and dominating, over-riding all, her affiliation with and her distinctive depiction of the glorious West Australian wildflowers.

This state, as we all know, has Australia’s best and most splendid wildflowers. It’s somewhat less well-known that we also have the best wildflower artists. Jude Taylor in fact is part of a long tradition of artists, predominately female, who have responded to our unique wildflowers — Georgiana Molloy being the first of these and that was almost 180 years ago. Indeed the history of West Australian wildflower artists is a fascinating one but I won’t be going down that path this evening.

Jude knows and loves and understands our wildflowers — this is evident in every example of her work. She relates personally to them and in a sense each piece is a form of self-portrait — the variety of the flowers an indication perhaps of the complexity of her own personality —

A telling comment she made the other day echoes in my mind: “wildflowers, like females the world over”, she said, “hang in there often in adverse conditions ... giving out their best, season in, season out ... often with not a lot of encouragement ...”

Some 20 years ago Jude realised she had something more to give and to say and the remarkable thing is she got on with it. “This is my life ...” she is saying in this exhibition, “this is how I see, this is what I care about this is what I believe is worth preserving and recording”.

And unlike in the past when women tended to down play their interests and achievements and almost to apologise for putting their talent on show, Jude openly acknowledges her gifts and unashamedly applauds the feminine. The further remarkable thing is that she does so in an exceedingly appealing, assertive, confident way. Jude, you truly are an inspiration for us all. Thank you ...

It is now my great pleasure to declare this exhibition open.

Perpetua Durack