An Artful Campaign to Fight MS

Judi Bartnicki, An Artist Biography

Judi Bartnicki was born and raised in Beverly, Massachusetts. At age four, she was encouraged and instructed by her grandfather, Edward Beaulieu, to practice art. Her talent was impressive and captivated many. She was able to work in many different medias, and her technique was quite unique. She achieved high honors in art throughout her school years, and was awarded a full scholarship to the Art Institute of Boston in 1969. Her work truly was amazing.

In 1976, Judi began experimenting with a technique called pointillism, which she continues to pursue. Seurat (1859-1891) was the founder of this method also known as stipple, neoimpressionism, or divisionism. It is the use of tiny points or dots that form together to create a picture.

Judi's work is collected by many. The City Council of Salem, Mass., voted unanimously to thank her for her generosity to the citizens of the community, and her work has now become a part of the permanent historical Salem City Hall collection. Many of her originals have taken up to 600 hours to complete.

Amazingly, Judi creates these beautiful works of art despite the loss of feeling in her left hand, the result of a multiple sclerosis attack, which was diagnosed in 2001 following the removal of a benign brain tumor. To continue creating her unusual and compelling artwork, Judi’s partner, Dave Richardson, began to tape the brush or ink pen to her left hand. With pen firmly secured, Judi’s natural ability takes over and guides her arm precisely to each and every point on the canvas. Now, Judi works with the help of a brace specially made for her wrist.

Listen to Jordan Rich speaking about Judi on WBZ Radio.

Judi’s craft continues to drive her life forward through adversity and hardship that would easily rob the inspiration from others less committed to their creative energy.

To order prints of drawings, or to commission an original by Judi, send email to Easelexpress@aol.com.