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about the artist
 Valparaiso, Indiana artist Judy Lynn has taken a meandering path to a career in book arts and printmaking. Her artistic journey began with a BFA in graphic design and a minor in publishing and printing arts from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. After graduating, moving to Wisconsin and doing various jobs, she unexpectedly found herself working as a pastry cook. Still, she continued her book binding and printing sideline at home where she designed custom books and various special occasion cards for friends and clients.
In 2006, while living in Decatur, Georgia, Judy turned this part-time hobby into a full-time business called Mirabelle Studio. She likes to mix unusual papers, thrift store finds and other design elements with traditional book art techniques to create decidedly fresh blank books and memory boxes. Her simple aesthetic style allows the decorative paper and the binding to be the focus.
Judy's block prints and monoprints take a clean, graphic approach to common themes and subjects. She is influenced by nature, her surroundings and her personal perceptions of life. Judy’s work is often figurative but recent work has included more conceptual explorations along with a layering of color under the block print. This combines two elements that she likes--the casual, painterly background with the structure of the block print.
All of Judy’s work is designed and made by her. The craftsmanship and attention to detail are evident in every book, box and print. She gets satisfaction from designing pieces that are both beautiful and functional, yet open for the owner to complete with their own memories, dreams or drawings.
When she isn’t binding books or pulling prints you can discover Judy reading a good book, walking her dog or counting birds in a state park. Her work can be found at local art festivals, in regional galleries and across the pond in Europe. She was also a featured artist on HGTV’s show “Crafters Coast to Coast” where she showed America how to do a block print and construct a memory box. She has been making books, decorative boxes and block prints since 1991.
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