in space...

Judy Pfaff is most know for her large scale, "wild," site specific installations. She works with pretty much everything available to her from tree stumps to car hoods and re-shapes and contextualizes them into gorgeous, often celebratory, and usually quite colorful sculptures.


I have had the privilege of hearing Judy speak in a somewhat intimate setting and was totally inspired by her incredible personality, honesty, bravado in the studio, and frankness about her life. She also is a very generous person.
I have also known someone who worked with her as a studio assistant and pretty much could not say enough kind things about her.


But... I never really connected with her work as it was huge, metal, abstract works. Recently I came across her work again and was intrigued to look further and am totally digging it. As I look at her more known works I see, instead of what she is using, the incredibly diverse textures she creates as well as the use of color and space.


and in her new 2d works there is a sensibility that could easily be translated to fiber with her use of color, collage, texture, and the line.


In ways these new works remind me visually of Vadis Turner's recent exhibit but have a different and more aggressive sensibility.
Roberta Smith once said that Judy is "a collagist in space.” I love that and agree as even in her 2d work there is such an incredible sense of space. One that is totally inspiring.


I love how she takes risks in her material choice and perhaps want to give myself that permission too.

See more here.