about judy
I have this quote by walt whitman saved in my journal.
“one world is away and by far the largest to me and that is myself
I am the poet of my body and I am the poet of the soul”
I continue to read whitman’s leaves of grass cover to cover, a change from the pema chodron pocket meditations I studied a few years ago. both authors advise the kind of self-awareness that journaling brings. because of my long journal practice, I am aware of my own beautiful inner life, and also that each of us has a vast inner life. I am aware that everyone who looks at the artwork I make will experience it from their individual perspective. I hope that my work might unlock something in my viewer, much as being outside in the fresh air and glimpsing autumn leaves move gently against the blue sky might unlock a personal memory or a new idea. that’s the high hope I have for my work. agnes martin wanted her work to express how we feel when in nature and that’s what I hope too. I want my work to touch someone else as if it is nature.
judith e martin 2021
Judy Martin grew up on a large rural property in the Fort Frances area of Canada. She married Ned martin when she was 22 and the couple raised their four children in three beautiful northern Ontario locations; Thunder Bay, Kenora, and Manitoulin Island. Judy and her husband continue to live and work on Manitoulin Island, Lake Huron, Ontario, Canada.
Judith e Martin made her first quilt at the age of twenty and soon became inspired by the quilt’s connection to the important life passages that occur in bed. During the 90’s, she made hand-stitched story quilts using the poetic code she discovered in traditional quilt patterns and world embroidery. Martin holds two BA degrees in fine art, (1993 Lakehead University [Thunder Bay, On] and 2012 Middlesex University [London, UK]). Currently, her most important work is about touch and vulnerability and about the relentless passage of time.
Judith e Martin’s work has been widely exhibited across Canada as well as the USA, Europe, and Asia. Her stitched artwork was featured in the book slow stitch: mindful and contemplative textile art by Claire Wellesley Smith (2015) and is supported by the Ontario Arts Council.
