Meet Artist Judy Ragagli, the inspiration behind Barbie’s & Bubbles, a housewarming event. I first met her at a Gallery opening in the heart of Malibu Village, in the early 2000’s. The show featured nearly a dozen of her hyperrealistic paintings, and in that moment, I became a fan for life. As an artist myself, I greatly appreciated her unique skill. Working from only 7 tubes of oil paint, she’s able to create all of these exquisite colors, which is quite challenging when it comes to flesh tones. And her ability to create an image that looks like molded plastic, is even more impressive.
Within a few years I commissioned Aqua Sheath, an original oil painting, for my home in Palm Springs. Barbies chic sense of style is so mid-century, so she’s always in fashion in Palm Springs… it was a perfect fit for the desert. Eventually I sold the home and put the painting in storage. I moved into a larger home at the beginning of this year, and made sure this painting was one of the first ones I hung… along with Barbie in Hollywood.
I’d waited years to buy her from Judy, as Judy wasn’t ready to sell it. As an artist, you sometimes wait for the perfect collector when it comes to one of your babies. You know when it’s meant for someone who truly appreciates what you’ve poured into it. It’s not just the hours of painting, but the hours of contemplating as you flesh out the details, bringing it to life, pushing through the barriers in your mind. It’s a very heartfelt process.
When the Oscar nominations came out this year, it thought it was prophetic that Judy had seen Barbie on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in her minds eye, so many years ago. That’s when I got the idea for my themed housewarming party. I wanted to celebrate strong women and female empowerment through art. I texted Judy to see if she was up for it, and asked if she would speak to my guests about her inspiration. She also agreed to bring in a few more paintings for the party.
When the evening finally arrived, my guests went crazy for all of her glorious art.. and a few folks even brought their original Barbies.
In keeping with an Art Salon themed event, I spoke about a few of the works in my collection featuring women who’d blazed a path for themselves such as Francoise Gilot, or the up and coming Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu. From there I introduced Judy and enjoyed watching her interact with all of her new fans and admirers.
The evening couldn’t have been any more perfect. Everyone was laughing and smiling, even as they walked out the door. I loved introducing these strong women who were friends and clients, to each other. It was a dream come true for me.
Judy, thank you for being the amazing woman that you are. You’re so intuitive and insightful, not to mention madly talented. It was such an honor to have you in our home.
Learn more about Judy Ragagli’s Barbie art at Vintage Barbie Art