Jude Wild

Although I’ve lived in London since the mid 1970s I still have a deep rooted connection with nature, which comes from my upbringing on a fruit farm in rural Kent. I grew up in the type of household that was immersed in craft making of various kinds — dressmaking, rug making, millinery, lamp shades, basket making and much more.

Costume Designs 1970s

I was obsessed with drawing and painting from an early age and was lucky to have parents who encouraged it. I left school at 16 and went to art college part time while working as a window dresser in Canterbury. I then studied stage design at Birmingham College of Art, spending 16 years working as a stage designer in various repertory theatres and theatre in education companies including The Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Leeds Playhouse, Dukes Playhouse Lancaster and The Curtain Theatre in the east end of London.

Wild Designs catalogue

By the early 1990s I set up my own clothing label ‘Wild Designs’, designing and manufacturing club wear for London’s vibrant scene. After winding the business up I moved into the voluntary sector, working as Head of Facilities at St Mungo’s for 5 years, while studying part time at Birkbeck, University of London, gaining a Post Graduate Certificate in History of Art and Architecture.

Eel Pie Land

Now, when I’m not organising the lecture programme for Richmond Art Society, I paint and draw as much as possible. I find working with a mix of media particularly exciting — combining painting, photography and photo manipulation. As well as exhibiting with RAS for around 10 years, I’ve exhibited at Orléans House Gallery, The Fountain Gallery, The Landmark Centre Teddington, The Riverside Gallery, The Menier Gallery, 54 The Gallery Mayfair, The Fitzrovia Gallery, and The Affordable Art Fair Battersea.

Strawberry Hill Gothic