Appleton Judith

Judith Appleton is exhibiting minimalistic paintings of color patches located between the figurative and the abstract, brought forth from the observation of two seemingly opposite landscapes – the Middle Eastern desert and the North Pole region. The exhibition contains paintings from the past two years, some made in Appleton’s local environs – the area of the Dead Sea, and others made during her artist’s residence sponsored by the Upernavik Museum, Greenland – “the world’s northernmost museum.”

The artist traces the minute changes of form and color: how applying paint to canvas can embody the characteristics of the locale, and how the volumetric forms of air, water, earth, ice, and sand create compositions undergoing constant metamorphoses.

She painted the desert from direct observation, standing in the midst of the landscape. In Greenland, it was impossible to paint outdoors, except for short walks outside for quick sketches or photographs. She created the paintings by observing through the residence’s large windows, focusing on a single point – “her” iceberg, and followed its changing form as it melted and re-formed.

Within these infinite, monochromatic landscapes, Appleton has created an intimate journey in paint following the elusive transitions of light, the essence of the quiet, slowness, and feeling of being “at the edge.”