Our first cover is here and Judie Mozie is our cover girl! Judie is earthy, eccletic and part of what we call the “next” group of cool kids of Hollywood. She’s part of a talented family but she’s starting to make a name for herself on her own with her unique art aesthetic. I met up with her to shoot her and was instantly charmed by her warm personality and exuberant smile. Judie’s outlook on life is sunny and grounded unlike many of her contemporaries her age. She definitely has a wise soul and we are looking forward to following her journey in the world of Art.
We will share photos every week this month from our exclusive shoot with Judie Mozie.
Check out our interview with her and be sure to keep your eye out for more photos and looks of our muse of the month—Judie Mozie.
How do you describe your art aesthetic:
I would describe my art aesthetic as contemporary African. Because I try to stay pretty traditional in my style but my execution is definitely a modern approach in terms of mediums and instruments.
Who are what influences your work:
I think life in general influences my work. I know that is such a broad thing to say but my work tends to be very broad as well. My whole message is about understanding life and your place in it taking control and living with purpose. So I’m really influenced by the journey of self-discovery and self-mastery. I use things like history, my Nigerian heritage, and my personal experiences to direct my work.
I know you do digital art, paint, video and photography—which are you pursuing most heavily currently:
Right now I’m painting a lot more than anything but I’ve never felt limited to just one thing. I’m always thinking of new ways to express myself. I went to school for film and I was kind of always known as the girl who takes pictures but I painted out of boredom all throughout college and I always got such amazing reactions from them. So in 2016 I decided to really go for it and I started painting larger scale pieces and showing them to literally everyone I met. By May, I moved to LA with one commission and a suitcase and it’s been an incredible ride since then. I was really able to find my voice as an artist through painting and I think that painting has allowed me to feel more comfortable in my other mediums.
Tell us a little about Cosmics Shades of Brown:
Cosmic Shades of Brown is a name I came up with to describe my creativity. I started painting with a clear message from the very beginning. The light sphere used to come to me in dreams when I was younger so it was naturally the first thing I painted and it’s a really important element that I will never stop expanding on. I truly feel like my work is being directed by things much greater than me. So Cosmic Shades encompasses my influence, motivation, inspiration to create and grow in life. It also represents all of the brown people in the past present and future that stand for something true who are making a difference in their own unique way.
You’ve had several art shows in recent years which is amazing at your age. How was that experience and when can we expect another exhibit from you:
Thank you so much! It’s kinda funny because I’ve been doing art shows since the third grade and it never really registered to me that it was something I’d been doing all of my life till you said that. What I love most is that it is a chance for people to get to interact with me and my art in a more personal way. I love that person to person synergy more than anything. Every show that I’ve done has been such a new experience for me but I’ve been able to learn something different from each one. I’ve already started planning and raising money for my first solo show which is going to happen sometime during this summer. I’m going to be bringing to life some of the main themes in my life with a few collections of paintings and some sculptural work as well.
In terms of personal style how do you infuse your artistic influences with how you dress:
I really don’t think my artistic influence affects my personal style. I typically dress very simple and I don’t really pay attention to gender when I dress. I focus more on the way clothes shape my body more than anything. So my wardrobe consists of lots of versatile classic pieces that I can dress up or down. I focus more on how I feel rather than what I have on. I guess that’s the same way I create art too.
I know the art world is opening up more to minority artists where do you see yourself in 5 years within the art world:
I’ve always felt like as artists we pave the way for society. Anything we value as artists is what comes to light in the culture around us. So I feel like it’s a lot less of the world opening to minority artists and more of minorities taking ownership and placing value on themselves and their creativity. Because our talent and perspective is already outstanding by default. So in 5 years I see myself establishing my value as an artist. I see myself working to elevate the African aesthetic to its true dignity. I want for my art and message to grow to support, inspire and strengthen as many people as possible. Especially young girls. Hopefully by then I’d establish some sort of foundation that encourages young African women all over the world to take more leadership roles in the development of Africa.
Tell us something about Judie Mozie that most people don’t know:
I’m teaching myself how to DJ. My brother gave me some turntables a few christmases ago and I used to make cds all the time for my friends and like different kinds of playlists growing up thanks to the magic that was limewire. I love making all kinds of playlists that express different things and I still find myself taking over the music at parties so now I’m just like why the hell am I not doing this already.
I see you are dabbling with fashion design, what type of pieces would you be most interested in crafting:
It’s kinda hard for me to not see fashion as a medium or my work. I’ve always been into customizing clothing for myself so it’s not something I force. For me, it’s all about the whole package. I’m a really big fan of loungewear. Anything that makes you feel confident, sexy, and most importantly comfortable. It would be amazing to see my designs on some silk sets, robes, scarves. I think activewear would be something really cool to experiment with as well.
Follow Judie on IG via @JudieMozie and keep up with her via her website www.judiemozie.com.
This month we’ll also have a number of features on other talented Africans as well as give you the latest on the Afrobeat scene in LA!
