Judith Symons on Her Garden Drawings and Abstract Prints
Throwback time! This time in 2023, I hosted a solo exhibition by artist Judith Symons at the Tavistock Centre. Judith presented two different sets of works “united by a passion for pattern and colour”: pastel drawings of domestic London gardens and abstract screen prints on fabric.
The big artworks brought so much life into the art space, filling it with vibrant colours, radiance and dynamic compositions. It was a perfect exhibition to go with the summer season.
About the artist
A multi-faceted London-based artist, Judith studied fine art in the seventies and went on to win the Winsor & Newton Award for Painting. She has also qualified as an Art Therapist from the Goldsmiths University. Judith runs her psychotherapy practice and curates art exhibitions at the Association of Group and Individual Psychotherapy. She has shown her work in group shows at the Whitechapel Gallery, the Freud Museum and the Royal Academy, among others.
Screen prints
“There’s two varieties,” Judith said of her prints at the exhibition launch. “They are made in silk screen, in three screens, occasionally a fourth screen, onto fabric. Each one of them is a kind of experiment. I just wanted to use and exploit the colour, to see what it can do.” She was amazed how unpredictable the process was. “You’d take exactly the same colour, put it on, and it would come out completely different.”
Judith shared that these abstract works are not intended to convey any meaning or express anything in particular. “They’re there for the joy of seeing the colour arrive,” she said, stressing their role as purely decorative. “It’s such fun. The pictures were a delight to do. I thoroughly enjoyed doing that.”
Judith Symons at the exhibition launch, 29 June 2023 [Photo: Tavistock and Portman]
Garden drawings
“These are really lovely gardens,” Judith says with praise. Then quickly admits she feels privileged to be able to enjoy her time in them, thanks to the owners being her friends and relatives. She points at one of the paintings: “I remember walking into this garden at the other end. I turned around and looked at this huuuge tree. I spent my whole time looking up!”
While the paintings make for a wonderful homage to green spaces, the artist’s relationship with nature is a bit complicated. “To be in nature for me is not particularly easy,” she admits humbly. “I never know what to do with it. How do you take these things in? How do you appreciate it?”
She puts all her admiration into these serene, escapist pictures. “They would not exist without these gorgeous gardens,” she reflects.
See more pictures from the private view here. Check out Judith’s website for more art.
@matuklon From the launch of the new Judith Symons’ #exhibition at the Tavistock Centre earlier this month. Gorgeous prints and garden drawings. 🌺 #artshow #privateview #exhibitionopening #Londonart #artspace #artgallery
