In downtown Amherst, Judie's restaurant, a local favorite, doubles as a gallery; it features the distinctive, colorful works of local artist Donna Estabrooks.
AMHERST- For anyone who has ever eaten their way through the town of Amherst, it is known that Judie's Restaurant is a dining hot spot where families and friends gather to enjoy not only the delicious food, but also the whimsical atmosphere.
A trip to Judie's offers a unique experience, memorable in comparison to many other restaurants. Aside from its warm, family-style ambiance, the restaurant doubles as an art gallery, featuring the distinctive, colorful works of local artist Donna Estabrooks.
Her eye-catching paintings are on display throughout the entire restaurant, from the entrance to the restrooms. The tables are works of art too-all hand painted by Estabrooks.
Estabrooks says she loved painting from a young age. She attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the late seventies and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting in 1982. Judie's opened in 1977, and at that time was half the size of the restaurant today.
After graduating, Estabrooks taught at UMass Amherst for nine years as an artist-in-residence. She began asking local restaurants whether she could feature some of her artwork in their space to gain recognition. It wasn't until years later, in 1987, when Estabrooks would meet Judy Teraspulsky, one of the owners of Judie's.
Estabrooks, establishing her own career, opened up her studio in the early 1990s and began working with galleries where she would feature her unique artwork.
More than a decade later, Estabrooks received an unexpected call from Judy, who told Estabrooks that she had been following her work over the years, and was looking to form a partnership, and hopefully strike a deal.
This was no ordinary commission for Estabrooks. Judy requested that Estabrooks feature her artwork throughout the entire restaurant. The idea was that the restaurant would be another gallery for Estabrooks.
By filling the restaurant with her paintings, Estabrooks would play a key role in bringing Judie's iconic atmosphere to life. After giving the plan much thought, she decided to say yes.
"Thank god I said yes!" Estabrooks says. "Judy told me at the time, 'I will be your best gallery,' and I really didn't think that could be possible."
This collaboration was spur of the moment for Estabrooks, and she says the plan "was so opposite of any idea I had, it was almost an anti-business plan, and yet it blessed me with an incredible opportunity, it truly is my best gallery."
When asked about the collaboration today, Estabrooks says, "It's heavenly!"
"I have such a large amount of freedom, and this experience is blissful, walking in and seeing all of my work around. Working with Judy has been my favorite because with Judy, it is personal," Estabrooks said. "She always makes it a point to reach out to people, and treat them with incredible respect. She takes the time. When my son was younger and we would come in to eat, she would talk with us for hours; it made him feel so special!"
Judy's compassion affects the way by which pieces sell in the restaurant as well.
"When people are normally purchasing a piece, sometimes the most interaction I have with them is through a few exchanges online or in person, sealed with a check at the end. But with my artwork that sells in Judie's, it is different," Estabrooks said. "Judy will ask about the buyer's story, why they were drawn to that piece, and why they decided to purchase it. That is far more special for me, and I am able to take these stories with me, it makes the experience more rewarding."
Estabrooks feels personally connected with the restaurant gallery collaboration, and says "everyone has their talent, their thing. With Judy, we compliment each other so well, and that is how this has been so successful."
In 2007, when Judie's expanded their restaurant, doubling the space in size, Estabrooks was thrilled, yet reminded once again how special this opportunity was.
"As we were nearing a recession, and my artwork sales notably took a downturn, there was Judy, doing so well that they were doubling in size, when most places were closing! It was remarkable." Estabrooks went on to design more tables to fill the extra space, and prepared paintings as well.
Judie's Art Bar
This past year, the owners of Judie's wanted to bring local artists and people in the area together to celebrate and create art. Thus, Judie's Art Bar was born, located in downtown Amherst right behind the Judie's restaurant.
Estabrooks teaches her class at the art bar on the last Saturday of every month, where she leads groups to listen to their intuitions, so they may create something beautiful. The class is called "Play with Paint."
"It's idyllic," says Estabrooks, in regards to leading these sessions at the art bar.
The sessions at the art bar are very different from her private studio sessions. Estabrooks says it is very enjoyable to paint in a group like that, where people are talking, laughing, and the energy is electric.
Estabrooks offers advice for those who attend her class at the art bar: "I suppose in any creative process the same rules may apply, however I tell my students, do not worry so much about the end product, focus on the joy of the journey that brings you there; often times when you don't plan a piece exactly, and you can let go, the end product will turn out just as it should. If it doesn't, then keep working on it, add more layers, more depth, play around with it. You will feel when the piece is finished."
She adds that she rarely has her students use paint brushes, and encourages them to use other methods to paint, using rollers, scrap materials and, to many people's surprise, their fingers.
"I find that the paint brush makes people tense up, it stiffens them," Estabrooks says. Without paint brushes, she believes people are more apt to enjoying the journey with their work, allowing the piece to come together without intense precision.
On Her Own Creative Process
Estabrooks has a tried and true artistic process when working for various clients.
"When I am working on a commission piece, I make three pieces, sometimes even four. For the first piece, I follow the exact directions given to me; for the second piece, I incorporate the requested elements, but I try to see where the piece takes itself; and for the third piece, I just let my intuitions take over," says Estabrooks.
Estabrooks says she uses her intuitions to guide her artwork, rather than strict technique. She finds that with this process, people will more likely than not chose the piece that deviated from their original requests. As for the commission pieces that aren't picked by the buyer; they will sometimes end up at Judie's.
"I trust the universe and let the piece grow as it may. When I am painting, I listen to myself, and I let go. I don't focus heavily on technique, and I try not to limit myself. I practically never even use brushes."
If a piece simply isn't going as she hopes, and the painting process isn't bringing anything forward, Estabrooks doesn't give up. "The moment I accept that a piece isn't turning out well, I allow myself to say... 'f*** it!' That's when the magic happens. I rarely ever intend for a piece to turn out the way it does at the beginning of my process. I follow where the piece takes me, and often times I will have this 'Ah-Ha!' moment and images or themes will show up in the piece on their own."
Many of the paintings in the restaurant have images of different animals, angels, faces, or flowers in them. Estabrooks says that the faces or animals will show up during abstract stages, and she will then outline and highlight them.
She enjoys using clippings from sheet music, newspapers, magazines, and notes she has written in her works. It is also common to see words, phrases, or quotes in paintings too.
Their is one aspect of her artwork that all of the pieces in the restaurant share; an interesting and special backstory.<hr>
