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Marsha Tudor doesn't sleep much. She wakes at 4 a.m., working
in her studio in the cool quiet of the morning to create dramatic,
carefully considered, and meticulously rendered images of the natural
world. And then she comes to work at CMC.
As the Associate Director of Facilities and Campus Services, Marsha
Tudor's problem-solving skills are essential to the smooth
functioning of any number of events and processes on campus. She
manages the College's conference program, purchases furniture,
orchestrates all of the moves on campus, and coordinates the emergency
operations center. She also manages the capital budget for the campus,
operates the budget for her department, and coordinates the events
on campus as the liaison for major events like Commencement and Convocation.
In those early mornings, as well as late evenings after the regular
workday has ended, and on free weekends, Tudor finds solace and creative
release in her studio. But she sees a continuum between her work
at CMC and her work as an artist. "The creative process in
general is one of problem solving," says Tudor. "That's
what I do all day long, and that's also what art is all about."
Whether solving problems on campus or in the studio, Tudor's
creativity and attention to detail has not gone without notice. This
year, her eighth at CMC, she was promoted to her current position.
And although she has showed her art in several group shows, Tudor
had a solo show this summer at Float Gallery in Marina del Rey, where
her works garnered acclaim and interest. Many visitors were fascinated
by the process Tudor uses to create her art––a process
that begins by going outside and finding a subject in the natural
world, and ends with the use of cutting edge digital imaging technology.
Once Tudor has picked a subject - a single flower, perhaps, or a group
of leaves and seed pods––she brings the objects into her studio
and places them directly on the glass of a flatbed scanner. "They
have to be perfect and clean," says Tudor, "because every
bit of dirt and sand is magnified, even if they're not visible to the
eye." Tudor then previews the composition, in the same way that
anyone using a scanner might preview a scan. The major difference is that
she generally scans at a much higher resolution than would be used for
a document.
There is substantial rearranging as Tudor takes successive pictures;
a leaf is moved slightly akimbo, for example, or a native grass is
made just a bit more angular. For each rearrangement, more dust is
exposed, and Tudor must carefully clean the glass.
When the image reflects her desired composition, including use of
light and color, Tudor pulls the picture into Photoshop and begins
the editing process. This is extremely time-consuming, because Tudor
works slowly and methodically to fix flaws in the image, sometimes
repairing tears or spots, and cleaning up dust and specks. "In
my digital world," she says, "everything is perfect." The
editing process allows Tudor to realize her vision, one pixel at
a time, revealing pictures ranging from spare and ethereal to lush
and complex.
Although her undergraduate degree was in art with a concentration
in drawing, Tudor says she's found a perfect medium in this
blend of modern devices and techniques. "Now that I've
become digitized, that's all I do. It's really the best
vehicle I've found to communicate what I want to say," says
Tudor. "It makes the best use of my perceptions and my skills."
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Marsha Tudor will speak about her art and the process she uses to create
and edit images at a CMAC Brown Bag Luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 5. CMAC
- the Claremont McKenna Activities Committee - develops and promotes activities
that encourage community building among CMC faculty and staff.
To view more of Marsha Tudor's art online, visit her Web site:
http://www.whisperingleafdesigns.com/.
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