Judith Woodings

The Birch Grove I & II

Mokulito, woodcut and monoprints on Japanese paper.

THE PANDEMIC EFFECT

Disbelief at the situation we found ourselves in affected us all in different ways. My own reaction was to work in my studio with a rigorous time structure, shielding myself from the disease and its impact. I live in a quiet village and the changes I began to notice were subtle: gradually the skies became quieter and brighter and bird song heard with even more clarity but the absence of people was surreal. Gradually I began to stand back from t he rather pressured pace I had set for myself and became more reflective. My immediate world had shrunk and I noticed the minutiae around me.

This immersion in the world around me awakened feelings of oneness that are tinged with a sense of loss.

I gardened more, painted my close surroundings and gradually I began to put these ideas into my art practice.