Art and Inspiration

by Jill Duff-Hoppes

With this issue of J Life, we’re continuing a visual art-themed series that shines a spotlight on talented Jewish artists in our Central Florida community. Previous issues of the magazine have showcased local creatives who work in everything from oils, charcoals, and pastels to colorful textiles.

This time, we’d like to introduce you to two intriguing women: one is an established artist who specializes in the genre of papermaking, while the other excels at being the inspiration for many different works of art.

Artist Judith Segall

Strange as it may sound, Judith Segall was an artist long before she actually realized it.

Since 1987, the Altamonte Springs resident has specialized in the art of papermaking, creating bas-relief sculptures and mixed-media work. She has exhibited nationally and even has a piece on display at the United States Embassy’s American Center in Jerusalem.

But, before becoming an award-winning artist, Judith was a successful hairstylist. And as it turns out, hairdressing and papermaking aren’t as different as one might think. By way of explanation, Judith compares curling and teasing women’s hair to manipulating damp, handmade paper into aesthetically pleasing shapes.

“I never saw myself as an artist while I was doing hair,” says Judith, who was a full-time hairdresser from the late 1960s to the late ‘80s. “It is an art, but I didn’t realize that until later. I just changed fibers. Now, I’m sculpting with paper instead of hair.”

Born in New Jersey, Judith has lived in Florida since the age of four, except for a brief stint in California. In 1983, she took a papermaking workshop and a few years later began experimenting with the medium in earnest.

“Right away, the floodgate opened, and the creative flow just started,” says Judith, who earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Florida Atlantic University.

In 1994, Judith moved to Altamonte from South Florida and immediately founded the Women’s Caucus for Art - Central Florida Chapter. Currently, she serves on the WCA’s national board of directors. For her efforts in founding the local WCA group – which has since morphed into a statewide chapter – she was honored by the Veteran Feminists of America.

Judith exhibits her work frequently and is a member of the North American Hand Papermakers and the Florida Sculptors Guild. Although she occasionally creates with other media, Judith says she loves papermaking because it has no limitations and allows her to easily add texture to her work.

“The process of papermaking is healing, in and of itself,” says Judith. “Paper is made from 90 percent water, essential to our life’s force. When my hands are in the slurry [a water-pulp combination], I feel at one with the Earth. It’s the same feeling as working with clay.”

Early in her career, most of Judith’s artwork was decorative in nature. Now, her art tends to have a deeper meaning. Judith’s most popular work is her Judaic art, which often features hand-lettered Hebrew words and phrases. Other sought-after pieces are her family event art – including the artwork she creates using actual bar/bat mitzvah and wedding invitations.

Judith can never do just one thing at a time, however. During her hairdressing years, she also worked as a real-estate agent. And these days, Judith is also a travel consultant and agent. Creating art, however, remains her life’s passion.

“My greatest joy is the meaning my artwork brings into the lives and homes of others,” says Judith.

Model Janna Gluck

Janna Gluck doesn’t draw or paint, but she’s an integral part of the Central Florida art scene all the same. That’s because the 26-year-old is a sought-after artist’s model  and muse.

“I enjoy being a backup dancer to the creative process,” says Janna, who lives in Altamonte Springs. “It gives me a place in this world to be able to create something, even though it’s more of an indirect approach.”

Janna’s dream of modeling began in 2015 when she attended Nude Night Orlando, a body-themed art exhibition. Janna was fascinated, but right away she noticed a lack of models with full figures, like she has. So, she approached a bodypainting artist and arranged to be painted at his studio.

Soon enough, Janna was working as a model, herself, at bodypainting events. Which means her plus-size body literally becomes an artist’s canvas for all sorts of whimsical and fantastical designs.

Those bodypainting events led to Janna modeling for fine-art departments at local colleges and universities. For these gigs, models typically pose nude to enable students to accurately depict the human form. Janna also models at Crealde School of Art’s open studio sessions and poses via Zoom for art schools around                  the country.

For her fine-art modeling, Janna usually strikes poses ranging from 30 seconds to 45 minutes, so artists can practice quick sketches as well as more detailed portrait work. Staying still is a learned skill Janna has mastered, although she does allow her mind to wander freely.

“I meditate or think of what I have to do when I get home or plan my schedule in my head,” she says.

Posing naked (or wearing little more than paint) was a shock to her system at first, but now Janna feels at ease despite being exposed.

“I feel so secure in what I do because I’ve been painted hundreds of times,” says Janna, who was bullied about her weight as a kid.

Born and raised in Altamonte, she attended the Jewish Academy of Orlando and Lyman High School. Janna studied at Seminole State College and the University of Central Florida, which is one of the schools where she models.

An avid traveler, Janna has been a staff member on Birthright Israel trips on two occasions. In addition to modeling in Central Florida, she has worked in Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Las Vegas, Nevada. Eventually, Janna hopes to model in-person in all 50 states.

In addition, the multi-talented Janna is a newly published author. This summer, she released a deeply personal anthology of poems, narratives, and quotes titled Viva La Yves: Sensual Brain Food & Experiences in Thought. Janna uses Yves instead of Gluck as her muse and pen name.

Janna sees herself not only as an artist’s model but also as a role model. She hopes her physical presence at art events and her likeness on canvases will open minds and illustrate that all shapes and sizes are beautiful.

“I enjoy knowing that my body is a vessel for understanding,” says Janna.