ARTIST STATEMENT
My Mother’s Heart emerged when I decided to make a portrait of my mother, who died two years ago. I started sketching her face and wound up portraying her heart, which seemed more significant. As I reflected on this work, I realize that the title may also refer to my heart, as I am also a mother.
The imagery arose when I found paper that was printed with a design of fan coral. The delicate veining of the coral reminded me of blood vessels in the body. Connectivity, for me, is the complex system of chemical and biological communication within the human body, which extends to the natural world at large. Our consciousness and sentience as human beings is the result of a flow of messages that ends only when we cease to be, and then our physical remains continue to interact with and communicate with the microbes and gases which surround them. The contemporary world of electronic pulses that give rise to the internet and other technologies may seem dehumanizing at times. But we do well to remember that our bodies (and the natural world) are pulsing with electricity. We are our own little hives of connectivity.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Artist Judith Joseph is based in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She explores ideas about environmental and social justice issues through the lens of folklore and the natural world. She works across media: woodblock prints, calligraphy, painting and installation.
Judith Joseph exhibits widely in North America and Europe. She is a two-time Illinois Arts Council Artists Fellowship Award recipient. She has work in hundreds of private and public collections, including the University of Illinois, the Chicago Public Library and the Respect and Tolerance Foundation, Czech Republic. She is a long-time faculty member at the Chicago Botanic Garden, where she teaches watercolor, drawing and calligraphy. In addition to her conceptual art practice, she is a widely known creator of ketubot (illustrated calligraphic Jewish marriage contracts), which have been featured in articles and books.
© Judith Joseph