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udith
Cook is a painter, ceramist and cyberceramist, based in Southern California.
She
originally trained as a painter, but has moved on to add ceramics to her
repertoire. She studied at the Heatherly School of Art, London, England,
Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, Connecticut and did
her MFA at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona in 1987. 
Judith's MFA Work
utilised ceramics and mixed media, a trend that seems to be encouraged
in many art schools teaching ceramics. Her Early
Ceramics where organic pod forms, glazed in white or black. These
have a certain elegance about them,that is underlined by the monochromatic
surface treatment. Between 1993 and 1995, Judith worked a series of Figure
Portraits and from 1995 to 1996, a series of Head
Portraits. These series are reminiscent of the series method usually
seems to work in, not to mention a kinship with the type of work.
It
is interesting to note that neither her painting
nor her early ceramic or the MFA work indicate the direction Judith was
to take at a later stage. Coming into contact with computers, Judith embarked
on a cyberceramic project which was to span several years culminating
in a solo exhibition in California. The project Not
the Last Supper spans the years 1996-1998 and consists of 13 place
settings made using ceramic techniques combined with computer technology.
Judith says of her work: "I work back and forth between two-dimensional
and three-dimensional formats often incorporating painted elements in
a
direct dialogue with sculptural forms. Many times found objects dictate
the content or are incorporated into the format of the piece. I often
incorporate two-dimensional mixed media with clay in a conceptual approach
where, symbolically, as with my use of color, I choose other materials
or objects where they more specifically convey my ideas. I collect a lot
of stuff. Stuff is equivocal to junk. Junk makes history. History makes
art."