Judith Brenner United Kingdom
Born in London in 1964 I studied Fine Art at Manchester Met from 1983-86. I have had solo and group shows in and around London and work from a studio in West London.
My abstract painting uses the notion of alchemy, a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination, to respond visually to my environments and life experiences. On a search for strength and freedom, I channel the immediacy of mark-making from life-drawing, sketches and collages into abstraction.
While I am informed by travel, landscape and the human body, through material and process I translate these references into abstract form. Instead of recording the landscape, I use it as a vehicle – working outside, by the sea, or in the courtyard of my studio, brings me an expansive feeling of freedom. Colour is sourced from the places I travel – rusted metallics from Umbria, or blues and oranges found in the faded beauty of India.
Painting is a physical journey that takes me in and out of the picture plane, in a way that you might choreograph bodies for a dance. Working with acrylic as a base, I then add pigment, metal powders and salt, drawing into the canvas, pushing and pulling, layering colours and textures until it feels right. That’s where the alchemy comes from. The paintings evolve continuously, and I react to that. They become empowered by the temporal nature of the raw material terrain.
After an important turning point in my life, my paintings became much more physical. Whether conscious or unconscious, my work absorbs and carries my emotions. There is a sensitivity learned from being a woman, going through motherhood and bringing up children, that I want my paintings to be reflective of. I want them to be physically strong, each piece is a struggle.
