THE ART OF
JUDY GITTELSOHN

Judy Gittelsohn is an artist whose work has been displayed all over the place... you can see a complete list of her works on Judy's site .

Gittelsohn's work is exuberant, imprecise, obvious, yet subtle.

Shapes intersect, merge into or stand out from the background, spring up from the ground or return from whence they came. People have fascinating, hard-to-read expressions.
She uses a palette that ranges from the dark and foreboding, to the light and almost pastel, and often uses underpainting, or 'palimpsest', for effects that hit more below the conscious level.

Judy lives with her husband Bob and daughter Daisy in an Eichler in Palo Alto. Bob's kids, Ben and Marissa, live with them part time. Judy also makes time for her two chickens.

Please click on images for larger view.
(Special thanks to Mark Watson, the "Eichler-tographer", for these pictures)

"WOW! Totally different perspective from down here!"

What really enhances the experience of Judy's art for me is to watch her paint and talk about her work, especially in her Eichler art space...

I had the honor of visiting her home recently while Mark Watson the "Eichler-tographer", took pictures of Judy in action. This page chronicles the genesis of her painting "the Happy Birthday Kiss", in December of 2002.

Judy introduces us to her atrium art space

As an "Eichlerholic", I very much enjoyed the fact that her Anshen and Allen flat top looked not too different from the one I lived in as a kid... even in the same neighborhood!

Backyard view of the "Gittel-ler"

At one point, in a fit of emulating the great Ernie Braun, Mark wanted to take pictures from the roof, looking down into the atrium. Here they are, complete with daughter Daisy.

I've always resonated with the confluence of art and Eichlers, feeling these homes foster creativity. Eichlers bring one out of the stereotype suburban blahs and into another zone that inspires the soul. Judy's work validates that connection for me. Many of her patrons share this realization -Eichler owners among them who proudly display her works- including architects Mark and KC Marcinik, and many of their clients.

Here is a sequence showing the genesis of "Happy Birthday Kiss".. showing layers of paint that will be later covered for good, but which form the foundation for this work..

After the photo session, we convened in the living room while Daisy and Mark Watson took turns at the piano, and we sang Karaoke. Sitting there in that living room, with the familiar floating fireplace and Philippine Mahogany, so like the home I was born in, I reflected on my dream to live in an Eichler again. And to paint. What fun that Judy lives both dreams!

In fact, I'm taking classes in painting from Judy- she helps me to overcome a lot of anxieties I had about making art. So I'm now living one of my dreams. For the results of my Acrylic journey, check out My paintings.

Judy teaches technique, not creativity. She trusts her students to have that in droves.

Her best lesson... shut up the noise in your head that gets in the way and let your subconscious mind take over. (This is much like in improv, where you're not supposed to 'block' the other player- don't 'block' yourself.)

Modernism in general and Eichlers in particular, and especially Judy Gittelsohn, opened doors in my mind to a wonderful world, and have a lot to do with where my work is rooted.

Now, if I could only figure out how to get Acrylic stains out of my clothes!

Other places to go...
Home | Voice-over Resume | Eichlerholic page
The Paintings of Wally Fields | E-Mail Wally Fields

THE ART OF JUDY GITTELSOHN

THE ART OF
JUDY GITTELSOHN