Description
Judith Berry’s landscapes appear to be the result of manufacturing and human interference. At first glance, the subjects suggest monumental forms such as prairies and mountains. Upon closer inspection, they could be smaller, more manageable things, such as objects on a blanket or figures on a rug. Although Berry considers these paintings to be landscapes, they are not often composed of elements that resemble grass, trees or water. The artist is interested in the ambiguity of scale where forms oscillate in interpretation from the microscopic to the monumental. The two white forms in the centre of this painting are like ghosts. Produced from the act of sanding the panel, these ghost-like forms introduce the idea of layering past, present and future intentions, despite uncontrolled disruptions of life; hence the title The Lives We’re Making. The general impression of these landscapes is one of calm, but they possess undercurrents that Berry describes as menacing; they can appear as a path, a series of paths, a direction, or a choice. Blending painterly concerns with ideas of perception and experience, Berry's landscapes are informed by an interest in how place and circumstance affect identity. Judith Berry’s works are in the collections of the City of Ottawa, Canada Council Art Bank and the Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery.