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Judy Walsh describes what motivates her to produce work in visual form (See below).
" Usually my motivation to produce a piece of work, be it a painting, print, drawing, video or construction is that of exploration. Often I will explore the same theme in different media or choose particular materials because I think that it gives the right form to an exploration.
For me there is a difference between art and artifact. Both can be of equal value, but my view about painting (art) is nearer to that expressed below by the artist Barnett Newman."
Barnett Newman (1905-1970)
"I’m trying to make a distinction between an aesthetic object and a work of art. In this regard, I think of my painting as an object but only as an object in a grammatical construction.
When I was a young kid studying French, I studied with a man, Jean-Baptiste Zacherie, who used to teach French by saying, “Moi, je suis le sujet, I’m the subject; vous, vous etes l’objet, you are the object; et voici le verbe,” and he’d give you a gentle slap on the face.
The empty canvas is a grammatical object-a predicate. I am the subject who paints it. The process of painting is the verb. The finished painting is the entire sentence, and that's what I'm involved in. Those who emphasise the world of objects and insist that an object can be art must, it seems to me, in the end make man himself an object. Now, this attitude is okay for generals, for politicians, for professional patriots, and for pagan aestheticians, who make man into so much material; but I think man is more than an object. Anyway, I am not interested in adding to the objects that exist in the world. I want my painting to separate itself from every object and every art object that exists. It is hard to say what one has accomplished. The work speaks for itself. However, one of the things that can be said is that I helped change painting from the painting of pictures to the making of paintings. I never use the word "picture" Those who make pictures, whether realistic or abstract, are not making paintings. What I have done is help take the plumbing out of painting, the outdoor plumbing of American scene and the sophisticated plumbing of the Paris boulevards. The other thing that I think was accomplished was that we removed the non-objective from non-objective art and gave abstract art the possibility of a new set of human subjects.
I have helped elevate into a new grand vision .... To create a work of art means, to me, to express something that is deep in one. It's not acting out one's neurosis, it's not expressing one's sensations; but it is an attempt to put down what you really believe and what you really are concerned with or what really moves you or interests you."
Barnett Newman. Selected writings and interviews.P.253. Edited by John P. O'Neill Published by University of California Press 1992
Please scroll down to view all the paintings on this page.
“For she was beautiful; her beauty made
The bright world dim, and everything beside
Seemed like the fleeting image of a shade.”
(Percy Bysshe Shelley: The witch of Atlas Verse 12)
Cool world.
Hot world.
A journey through life.
Oil and graphite on wood panel. Matt varnish
Size: 121cm x 87cm
Inspired by seeing these insects.
How beautiful but short lived they are.
See Judy Walsh's prints of the same name.
Oil on wood panel
Size: 115cm x 86cm
Derived from the Buddhist metaphor for the impermanence of life and the world of fleeting pleasures. What originally signified a sadness of the impermanence of our own short and troublesome lives (captured in the homonym "ukiyo" meaning sorrowful world) changed and became seeking momentary pleasure in the delights of the material world.
See Judy Walsh's drawings and prints of the same name.
Oil on wood panel
Size: 75cm x 90cm
Dolmens are often thought to be a type of burial structure. Human remains and artifacts have been found situated near them but it is uncertain whether these structures are in fact, tombs.
Usually, Dolmens are oriented towards the direction of the rising sun on the solstices. Many also have an opening in one end that lets in the ray of light from the sun on the Winter and Summer solstice.
See Judy Walsh's print of the same name.
Dolmen originates from the expression taol maen, which means "stone table" in Breton,
Dolmen are stone structures erected during the Neolithic period.
A typical Dolmen is constructed using two or three stones fixed vertically, crowned by a larger flat stone. They were usually covered with soil.
There are many of these stone structures throughout Europe.
Oil on wood panel
Size: 146.5cm x 122cm
Driving beside the river.
The light behind the trees.
Gives the effect of a movie.
When watching a film, we are motionless,
the film creates movement with light.
When we drive past the trees with light
behind them, we move and the image is still.
Oil on wood panel
Size: 118cm x 169cm
Inspired by the poem 'Skunk Hour' written by
Robert Lowell (1917-1977).
The poem was published in 1958.
Oil on wood panel
size: 86cm x 86cm
The field is cut in the Autumn creating an interesting texture which emphasises its perspective.
The development of agriculture enabled permanent
settlements and a reliable food source.
Judy Walsh makes etchings using both techniques described below. Some etchings have been printed in two or more colours, either by using a separate plate for each colour or applying more than one colour to a plate. in addition, colour can be applied after the print has dried either using watercolour or another medium (see no. 3. Fireflies below)
Etching is a printmaking technique that uses chemical action to produce incised lines in a metal printing plate which then hold the applied ink and form the image.
The plate, traditionally copper but now usually zinc, is prepared with an acid-resistant ground. Lines are drawn through the ground, exposing the metal.
The plate is then immersed in acid and the exposed metal is‘bitten’, producing incised lines. Stronger acid and longer exposure produce more deeply bitten lines. The resist is removed and ink applied to the sunken lines, but wiped from the surface.
The plate is then placed against paper and passed through a printing press with great pressure to transfer the ink from the recessed lines. Sometimes ink may be left on the plate surface to provide a background tone.
Like engraving, etching is an intaglio technique.
Intaglio refers to all printing and printmaking techniques that involve making indents or incisions into a plate or print surface which hold the ink when ink is applied to the surface and then wiped clean.
Aquatint is a printmaking technique that produces tonal effects by using acid to eat into the printing plate creating sunken areas which hold the ink.
Like etching, aquatint is an intaglio printmaking technique but is used to create tonal effects rather than lines. Intaglio refers to printing and printmaking techniques in which the image is incised into a surface, and the incised line or sunken area holds the ink.
Fine particles of acid-resistant material, such as powdered rosin, are attached to a printing plate by heating. The plate is then immersed in an acid bath, just like etching. The acid eats into the metal around the particles to produce a granular pattern of tiny indented rings. These hold sufficient ink to give the effect of an area of wash when inked and printed. The extent of the printed areas can be controlled by varnishing those parts of the plate to appear white in the final design. Gradations of tone can be achieved by varying the length of time in the acid bath; longer periods produce more deeply-bitten rings, which print darker areas of tone.
The technique was developed in France in the 1760s, and became popular in Britain in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
It is often used in combination with other intaglio techniques.
Ref: Tate Gallery London
Please scroll down to see all the prints on this page.
A contemporary version of the famous print by Katsushika Hokusai, Under the Wave off Kanagawa.
Etching Paper size: 28.05cm x 39cm Print size: 15cm x 20cm Paper: Hahnemûhle 300gsm Edition: 15 (See Judy Walsh's video of the same name.)
A crack or split.
Etching. Limited edition print
Paper size: 27cm x 39cm
Print size: 15cm x 20cm
Paper: Hahnemühle 300gsm
Edition: 10
How beautiful but short lived they are.
Etching & watercolour. Limited edition print
Paper size: 53.5cm x 79cm
Print size: 45.05cm x 62cm
Paper: Hahnemühle 300gsm
Edition: 3
See Judy Walsh's painting of the same name.
How beautiful but short lived they are.
Etching. Limited edition print
Paper size: 27cm x 39.05
Print size: 15cm x 20cm
Paper: Hahnemühle 300gsm
Edition: 10
See Judy Walsh's painting of the same name.
Many Dolmens are oriented towards the direction of the rising sun on the solstices. Many also have an opening in one end that lets in the ray of light from the sun on the Winter and Summer solstice.
Etching. Limited edition print
Paper size: 31cm x 27cm
Print size: 15cm x 20cm
Paper: Hahnemühle 300gsm
Edition: 20
See Judy Walsh's painting of the same name.
Derived from the Buddhist metaphor for the impermanence of life and the world of fleeting pleasures. What originally signified a sadness of the impermanence of our own short and troublesome lives (captured in the homonym 'ukiyo' meaning sorrowfull world) changed and became seeking momentary pleasure in the delights of the material world.
Etching. Limited edition print
Paper size: 39cm x 57cm
Print size: 15cm x 20cm
Paper: Hahnemühle 300gsm
Edition: 10
See Judy Walsh's painting and drawings of the same name.
Strings are elementary particles that are joined together. Because the strings have tension, they vibrate. There are two basic types of string: Strings as in a closed loop which can break apart into a vibrating open string, and strings that are closed loops, and which cannot break apart.
Etching. Limited edition print
Paper size: 39cm x 53cm
Print size: 15cm x 20cm
Paper: Hahnemühle 300gsm
Edition: 10
The oldest figurative paintings are those made in prehistoric times.
Etching
Paper size: 21cm x 29.7 Print size: 14.5cm x 20cm Paper: Hahnemûhle 300gsm Edition 10
Portrait.
Etching. Limited edition print
Paper size: 39cm x 53cm
Print size: 15cm x 20cm
Paper: Hahnemühle 300gsm
Edition: 10
Monotype ( a print that is unique) in yellow and black. See painting of the same name for further information.
The prints on this page are digitally produced and are also known as Giclée prints.
Original artwork is printed on to archival paper using fade-resistant, pigment based inks. Pigment based inks are not the same as those used in most inkjet printers which use dye based inks.
When using dye based inks. signs of fading or shifts in colour will be detected over a relatively short period of time.
Pigment inks won't fade over time and consequently the colours remain true to the original when printed on archival paper such as a Hahnemühle archival paper.
Print size: 23cm x 25cm. Paper size: 29.7cm x 42cm Paper: Hahnemûhle 310gsm Limited edition: 20
Print size: 21cm x 22cm Paper size: 29.7cm x 42cm Paper: Hahnemûhle 310gsm Limited edition: 20
Print size: 18cm x 18cm. Paper size: 29.7cm x 42cm Paper: Hahnemûhle 310gsm Limited edition: 20
Print size: 28cm x 41cm. Paper size: 29.7cm x 42cm Paper: Hahnemûhle 310gsm Limited edition: 20
Print size: 21cm x 28cm. Paper size: 29.7cm x 42cm Paper: Hahnemûhle 310gsm Limited edition: 20
Print size: 24cm x 31.3cm Paper size: 29.7cm x 42cm Paper: Hahnemûhle 310gsm Limited edition: 20
There is always a way out. Print size: 35cm x 22.4cm. Paper size: 29.7cm x 42cm Paper: Hahnemûhle 310gsm Limited edition: 20
Ukiyo-The Floating World
Derived from the Buddhist metaphor for the
impermanence of life and the world of fleeting
pleasures. What originally signified a sadness
of the impermanence of our own short and
troublesome lives (captured in the homonym
"ukiyo" meaning sorrowful world)
changed and became seeking momentary pleasure
in the delights of the material world.
The study of insects seems to suggest the transitory nature of the floating world.
Please scroll down to see all the drawings on this page.
Corbeau/Crow
Ink and graphite.
Paper: Hahnemühle 300gsm
Size of drawing: 39.05cm x 29.07cm
Paper size: 52.05cm x 32.05cm
See Judy Walsh's painting and prints of the same name.
See Judy Walsh's painting and prints of the same name.
Triptych.
Judy Walsh makes constructions from everyday materials usually considered to be ephemeral and/or mundane.
Polythene has a transparent yet milky quality and this acts as a support and also achieves a multi layered effect. Wire, string and permanent marker have been used to produce a type of drawing.
What part does memory play in shaping our future?
How do we construct our world though memories?
Do we interpret events from the past so that they fit the present?
What part does memory play in structuring identity both individual and in a social context?
Please scroll down to view more constructions on this page.
Polythene, wire, string and permanent marker.
Photograph of station looking inward from street level.
It's as if those on the lower level are fading from our view.
What we might have regarded as defined becomes indeterminate.
Permanent becomes impermanent.
What seems solid becomes unstable.
Maquette. Wire, string and gauze.
The light playing upon the wire and gauze structure creates shadow, which is as relevant as the structure itself in this experimental piece.
Conversation Piece
This artwork was made in response to the 18th C painting: Sir Willoughby Aston and his wife by Joseph Highmore. (see right & below). It can be described as a 'conversation piece'. Paintings like these depicted the aristocracy and middle classes and their families when their empire was in the ascendancy. Sure of their place in society and willing to show their wealth and their entitlement to it. Self-belief is the theme of the painting both in the way it is painted and in the narrative contained within it.
The video (see below right) was filmed in an 18th C space (Rotunda) but uses polythene and movement opposed to the very still and solid aspect of the 18th C painting.
What we might have regarded as defined becomes indeterminate.
Permanent becomes impermanent.
What seems solid becomes unstable.
Please scroll down to view more work.
Artist: Joseph Highmore (1692–1780)
Barnsley Arts, Museums and Archives Service
To view full screen, click on the YouTube logo.
Top image: Under the Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai.
Lower image: Etching. Under the wave by Judy Walsh
The print and video below by Judy Walsh is a response to the famous print shown here by Katsushika Hokusai, 'Under the Wave off Kanagawa'.
In the original print the waves seem to be overpowering the three fishermen's boats. Can the fishermen survive?
To view full screen, click on the YouTube logo.
