Jude Wainwright is a Manchester-based figurative and surrealist painter whose work explores identity, emotion and storytelling through staged, symbolic self-portraiture. Combining theatrical gesture, costume and imagined settings, she creates enigmatic narratives that blur the boundaries between reality and performance, examining how we construct, reveal and conceal aspects of ourselves.

Originally from Sheffield, Jude is also Studio Manager at AWOL Studios in Manchester, supporting a thriving community of artists and creatives.

In 2022, she reached the semi-finals of Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year and returned to the channel in 2025 as a guest presenter, delivering masterclasses on narrative portraiture.