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Ludij was born in
Amsterdam in 1942, and came to Australia with her parents in 1948. Since
then she has lived and painted in North Queensland and the Northern
Territory.
Due to northern isolation,
she is mainly a self-taught watercolourist and oil painter in the
traditionalist/realist style. Ludij also works in pastel, acrylics,
silkscreen printing, pen and ink etc.
Her works are in public,
private and corporate collections in Queensland, interstate and overseas.
Ludij says that her
fascination with old buildings goes much deeper than simply the presentation
of something picturesque. A keen conservationist, she sees people as just
another part of the ecology, and their buildings as shelters for their kind.
These shelters are, to her, the symbol of people's presence in the
landscape; portraying their triumphs, defeats and ongoing struggle against
the forces of nature. They have as much right to be there as have the nests
of birds, or the diggings of wombats.
"I am painting the death of
a region - old buildings are being torn down because they are inappropriate
or eyesores - but the real eyesores are the obscene concrete towers and the
block boxes people are now forced to live in. To most, this spells
"progress" and therefore must be good, but to me it is a tragedy. I want to
celebrate the spirit of the last frontiers as they inevitably come tumbling
down; to try to preserve the spirit of the old buildings and their people;
the determined people who lived and worked in these areas through hard
times."
Always fascinated by the
play of light on virtually everything, Ludij uses light and shade skilfully
to add depth and glowing realism to her work.
In recent years, Ludij has
won more than 30 awards in recognised art competitions. As well, since the
early 70s, she has had many solo exhibitions in Darwin, Brisbane and Cairns,
and has shown in many small group exhibitions throughout Australia.
Ludij has now sold her gallery and works from
her home in idyllic Yungaburra, Far North Queensland and continues to paint
and sell prints from her home. |