Judy Hintz Cox

Several years ago I became interested in Buddhism. Its teachings resonate for me. Attempting to understand emptiness has been an ongoing process. As I study emptiness, I try to internalize what I read. I won't bore you with the mind blowing teachings and how I have to read and reread and reread to understand all that goes into emptiness. I will say, just to be clear, emptiness is not nothingness.

What does this have to do with my art? Well, I attempt to capture the essence of the painting by reducing it to a minimum. My work is filled with a lot of space, which is representative of emptiness. And yet, the space is not empty but filled with thick white texture.

I begin a painting with thick and thin charcoal lines. I then splash turpentine onto the canvas and wipe the charcoal off with rags. Black smudges are left everywhere. Stepping back and observing the canvas, the painting presents itself to me. The next step is adding gobs of white paint sometimes with black and sometimes with other colors. It becomes an energetic dance. I continuously step back to contemplate the piece. And then I stop even if I believe it isn't finished.

Two important concepts are part of what I do. I don't expect everyone to like any or all of my paintings, but it they produce an emotion when viewed, I feel I've done my job. The other concept is not to overwork my pieces and let them be even if not completed.