JUDY TODD, PhD
Concern about the effects of climate change, from pandemics to environmental destruction, influences my emotional responses to the physical world and therefore my artwork. Through abstract landscapes painted intuitively with mixed media, I use color and symbols to convey subjective reactions to objective calamities. Each mark on paper is a choice that has consequences that lead to other choices, creating patterns that may be meaningful to viewers.
People need witnesses. We need people with uswhenfacingahardreality.Individualand group therapy rely on this fact. As I experience grief and fear when observing the worsening environment, from ever fewer birds and butterflies to increasing pollution and pandemics, painting helps me process these feelings. I hope the resulting art can be similarly helpful to viewers, even if only as a bit of company while we witness these changes.
Remembrance 4
(Mixed Media Painting on Paper, 16” x 20”)
Painting around the missing birds helps the artist process feelings of loss. It is possible that viewers will have similar reactions when observing what is missing in the painting. We can bear witness to each other’s grief, while perhaps considering what actions we may take to prevent further loss.