In April, Gallery on Main's sixth annual Artist of the Month series features exuberant collage works by Glen Ridge, New Jersey-based artist Judyann Affronti. Her work will be on view, and available for purchase, from April 1 through 30, 2022.

Meet the artist at a free opening reception on Saturday, April 2, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Judyann explains "My collages reflect my world in a joyous burst of color and shapes, distilled down to their minimal components. Felt is my medium of choice, snippy scissors my paintbrush. I see the world in two-dimensional shapes to be snipped apart and glued back together in beautiful patterns, a kaleidoscope of color, texture and pattern. Art is collage; relationships collage; travel is collage; life is collage."

She finds inspiration in her surroundings, and seemingly mundane objects become subjects for collage—still lifes of her favorite tulips and fanciful flowers in a mix of color and rhythm; animals in whimsical settings; crisp geometric assemblages with centers of vintage and handmade buttons.

Many trips to Oaxaca City have influenced Judyann. Her work reflects her personal reinterpretation of the traditional arts of central Mexico: Otomi and Tejuantepec embroidery, Zapotec alebrijes, Talavera pottery, and Teotitlan weaving.

In 2021, she began a series of introspective portraits reflecting on the feelings of sadness and hopelessness in women burdened with additional responsibilities under COVID restrictions. As a series, they portray an ascension from despair to optimism. Despite the darker subject matter she never abandons her signature colorful palette.

Born in Brooklyn with a passion to create, Judyann drew chalk animals on the sidewalk while her friends were making hopscotch boards. Her education at CUNY included art history and painting, but she discovered a greater love of collage, for which she received awards at juried exhibitions in the northeast, including the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit. Earlier in her career, her cut paper collages were sold at B.Altman in New York City and in fine department stores across the country, and were incorporated as fabric appliqués in a line of women’s loungewear.

Judyann's passion transitioned into more dimensional forms of art, handcrafting bead and stone jewelry and home décor. After a long corporate hiatus, she eventually returned to collage but replaced paper with felt. Much of the felt in her collages is made from recycled plastic bottles.

Not content with hanging on walls, her designs leap onto one-of-a-kind wearable neckpieces (called "Sheep Thrills") that will always be noticed in a crowd.

Judyann resides in Glen Ridge, NJ with four extraordinary cats and a loving and patient husband who can deal with the needs of a very creative wife.