Jude Swafford is a clay sculptor and mixed media studio artist who currently resides in Frederick, MD. Having spent childhood summers in Arizona, often traveling through the southwest and into Mexico, Jude absorbed the immense color and texture, and developed a love for tactile objects. After college, he moved to New York for four years, where he silently developed his perspective and focus. Work in the fashion industry later enabled travels throughout South America, Asia and Europe, where Jude’s philosophy of finding radiance amongst the ordinary; the flamboyant; the exciting; the mundane; the rich; the poor; was only strengthened. Recent years spent in Northern California were also highly influential on both his perspective and technique. While his true passion lies within ceramic art, primarily figurative sculpture and altered wheel thrown vessels, Jude also explores mixed media painting and finds beauty in the playful reorganization of discarded, everyday materials, such as wood, metal, plastic and fabric.​

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"I continue to draw inspiration from my everyday surroundings, the people I meet, and especially through travel. Although I love to trot the globe when possible, I find myself most inspired when trekking across the USA, by car, with my dog and my girlfriend. I don't think enough people travel this country we live in; its deserts, mountains, country, and cliff sides are some of the most beautiful places I've been, and I strive to emulate the colors and patterns of that great landscape through my artwork."