Jacqueline Rudolph

Jacqueline Rudolph In the Commonality of Spirit Lies the Power of Self

MAIN LEFT: Latina Love, Bronze, 18" RIGHT: Feminine Brown, Bronze, 18" ABOVE LEFT: Power of Being, Mixed Media on Canvas, 36" x 48"; RIGHT: Ella Roja, Acrylic on Canvas, 40"x 40"

A

s Agua Fria snakes its way west from the Plaza, a bright roadside art gallery and studio with full length windows gently beckons passersby to stop in. Once inside, sculptor and painter Jacqueline Rudolph’s energetic art inevitably draws viewers the way a flame draws a moth.

Her work demands to be noticed.

“My work is my passion, voice and dialogue with self,” Rudolph explains.

“When I sculpt or paint, it fills me with a sense of contentment and integrity. I draw strength and resilience from the commonality of spirit.” The self-taught native New Mexican fell in love with clay after taking her first pottery class. But instead of creating ceramics, she felt called to sculpt the human form. “My inspiration comes from the grace of movement the human form conveys,” she describes.

For instance, her Angelicous series depicts winged torsos in a variety of configurations, suggesting both movement and flight.

“These angelic bronze sculptures serve as a three dimensional platform to illustrate the spirit in flight. My winged torsos symbolize the empowered human spirit by representing the fearless faith that embraces the vulnerability, courage, strength and grace in all of us.

Through this body of work, I believe there exists a gateway to understanding and appreciating the light each of us was born to be,” she says.

Similar to the empowering message of her Angelicous sculptures, Rudolph’s

Feminine Brown series depicts the mestiza experience through a series of majestic bronze sculptural portraits. “I draw inspiration from the majestic presence of the Latin woman,” she observes. “My intent, in this particular series, is to represent the beautiful ethnicity and proud heritage of Latin culture.”

“When I sculpt or paint, it fills me with a sense of contentment and integrity. I draw strength and resilience from the commonality of spirit.”

In addition to her sculpture, Rudolph also paints impressionistic portraits. “I love painting faces. I call them impressionist portraits because they’re not generally of real people; it’s about creating a feeling.

I use the landscape of the face as a way of drawing the viewer into their own experience,” she says. “The technique I use in my paintings forces me to work very fast, so the portrait reveals itself to me quickly. I’m basically painting the soul and letting it reveal itself. I never know how it’s going to come out. It’s not depicting any one person, but rather a feeling.”

sculptures can be scaled to a larger size and customized with a base and patina.

Rudolph’s gallery is also her studio, so customers might find her at work while they browse. This creates an atmosphere that is at once creative and being created. “I would say the work is more about the message than the medium,” she reflects. “It’s like a writer; instead of words I use the paint and clay to convey a message. It’s about an empowered spirit. I access that both through my heritage and through the use of metaphor.”

Hours are Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.

Jacqueline Rudolph Studio 1400 Agua Fria St., Unit A 505.577.9564 jacquelinerudolph.com

Rudolph is available for commission, though she maintains that a commissioned portrait would be more impressionistic than literal. Her sculpture is also available on commission, and any of her current ABOVE: Jacqueline Rudolph; photo by Anthony Evans