THE WHITE SERIES

The white series works followed Judy's expressionist paintings in the Cerebral Reflections Series and began her journey in minimalist art. Sophisticated and monochromatic, these pieces are very unassuming at first glance due to their minimalist qualities. However the more you look and reflect, the more infinite these paintings seem. The duality of their simplicity and endless layers have been recognized by art patrons, gallery owners, and art consultants nationwide.

These original paintings have a quality of 'being in the moment', which is not surprising considering how this series came to be:

" ..Starting the 'white' paintings was a mental breakthrough for me because for years I felt my work should somehow be related to something that had to do with humanity, specifically, the need to make a statement that will 'make a difference' in order for me to justify painting. As I have grown, I have completely accepted the fact that I am an artist - and what is meaningful is for me to fulfill my 'is-ness'.

I have loved the thought of working with white for years - there is something very challenging in making it 'work'. When I was working on this series, I cut and sewed the canvas together before stretching it to give it natural ridged lines that are painted with black when completing the pieces. I don't know why I started using charcoal as an undercoat - once an artist friend told me that most discoveries/breakthroughs are accidents."

This art has a very soothing effect. Judy admits that "even while painting them and stepping back and looking at them in process, I had moments of feeling calm".

With charcoal as a base, Judy covers the whole canvas with charcoal, followed by painting thick oil paint mixed with encaustic on top of the charcoal, building up layers. Some layers are built with colors (mostly burnt sienna and yellow ochre and black), with each layer being scraped off after applying white. Once several layers are built, these abstract paintings are finished by applying the white with a brush digging deeply into the canvas.

"I have recently gone back to working in white using some of the same techniques I used in 1999/2000 and adding other elements I am using in my mixed media works. I am rather obsessed with working with white, and am currently bouncing back and forth between mixed media and white paintings. What is new for me is to work in two very different modes at the same time - but I am finding it challenging and that it adds another element to each work."

Born out of the white series was the minimalist blue art, click here to see these abstract paintings this contemporary artist. Find out more about the moods, emotions and background behind these and the white series minimalist abstracts by reviewing Judy's thoughts on minimalism in painting.