My name is Judit Czimer-Szendrei, I live in the city of Debrecen in Hungary. I make my art by using stamps or in other words I „paint with stamps”. This definition was given by Peter Antal a famous art collector.

Being a child I collected stamps just like other children did. Years later I took home many thorn out envelopes to my children. They, unfortunately were not interested in playing with them. I took the boxes with stamps from the depth of the wardrobe later, in 2015 when looking for something new for my daughter Zsofi. We thus started the great project lasting until our days: we are steeping, we are drying, we are systematizing.

I made my first picture in 2015. I tore it at once as I did not like it. My next picture was made by napkin-technique on cardboard, its title was just Circles. One of my collegues fall in love with it so he get is as my gift. Nowdays when this bio is being written, in november 2020 I am working on my picture No 101.

As a matter of fact my technique is developing, changing permanently. I have turned to using a water-based glue and work on fiberboard. In the beginning I used the stamps in full gluing them on the board side by side. Today I use the scissor as well and there are works when I print picture on the back of stamp sheets thus producing new special stamps myself.

People ask me where I do get that many stamps from frequently. Earlier I bought stamps but nowdays I receive them from friends and I have many stamp collectors among them to whom I can turn in need. I have the Philately Department of the Hungarian Post, the Aron Gabor Stamp Colletors’ Group of the Hungarian Army lead by Tibor Mandi and also Csaba
Sutoczky a famous collecor among my supporters.

To store the stamps is a challenging task because when I open the door of the wardrobe I have to see everything what is inside and have to evaluate whether I have enough of the stamp imagined or not. The storing system has been built up step-by-step: I have a large wardrobe already almost full of stamps but I have many different plastic boxes, drawers and
even a system of clips on a magnetic surface.

 

To work with stamps is easy on one side as I can get the colour needed in a ready made form but is difficult on the other side as I have to create new value with a material having an internal value already.

I enjoy every minute of making a new picture from the appearance of the idea through the exruciating planning to the realization itself. And to see the joy in the eyes of people observing my works is a feeling incomparable with anything. This is the reason why exhibitions are so important. My first exhibition was held exactly teo years ago. My collegues were my first visitors and this was the point when my fate was decided. Here I placed my pictures simply on chairs in an open conference room. They came not knowing what they could expect but came upon my invitation to see my works. Having seen them they kept on encouraging me saying I had to show the pictures to others as well. This kind of reception released exceptional energy in me.

I have participated in many exhibitions since not only in Hungary but abroad too. My picture Cirque is now in the Royal Residence in Tirana, Albania while The Lady of the Rosary can bee seen in Vatican City. At home in Hungary everyone can see my picture Taormina as I view it in the Stamp Museum, Budapest while the picture Together with Christ is exhibited in the Greek Catholic Community House in the city of Vasarosnameny. My other picture Waiting for Eve has been taken to the Hungarikon Collection. I was asked to make this picture by the owner of the collection journalist Tamas Karpati who gave me the magic wand, the rope – this became to be the snake on the picture -, the red scarf – the apple – and some signed cards of the famous Hungarian magician Aniko Ungar to make a piece of stamp art by using them.

The help and support of my family members in showing the beauty of life as I see and feel it is very important. My 95 years old mother steeps the stamps emotionally, my doughter Zsofi steeped them for a long time as well but now she likes better sorting them when she is tired of her mandala painting. I cannot be sure but presume she is following my example. She comes to every exhibition with me and when we were in London her mandalas were also on show at the Stampex Exhibition along with my stamp pictures. Finally I have to mention my husband without whom I would never had made a public step. He is with whom I discuss everything, with whom I share my thoughts, who supports me in my work. He is a true companion!