Judy Kirpich
Indigo Composition No. 20/ Stroke, 2022
Cotton, acrylic 44"H x 50"W
My friend was one of the most creative photographers I have known. She was felled by a stroke and died 2 months later. The change from extremely creative to null was difficult for all her many friends to grasp. This piece was my homage to her and a way for me to mourn the loss.
Judy Kirpich
Indigo Composition No. 19, 2022
Cotton, Acrylic 44"x44"
In 2021, my sister, brother and I moved my mother from her house of 46 years to an assisted living memory care unit. In less than a week we dismantled a house that was built by my father and full of my mother’s art. It was an upsetting experience. It was the only house I knew as a child, and was full of family memories. Indigo Composition Nos. 19 seeks to capture the jarring emotions I felt in the aftermath of the move and during that difficult week.
Judy Kirpich
Indigo Composition No. 15, 2021
Cotton, linen, acrylic 42"H x 51"w
n 2021, my sister, brother and I moved my mother from her house of 46 years to an assisted living memory care unit. In less than a week we dismantled a house that was built by my father and full of my mother’s art. It was an upsetting experience. It was the only house I knew as a child, and was full of family memories. Indigo Composition Nos. 15 seeks to capture the jarring emotions I felt in the aftermath of the move and during that difficult week.
Judy Kirpich
Indigo Composition No. 13, detail, 2020
Cotton, fabric paint, flour resist dyed fabric 78" x 85"
Judy Kirpich
Indigo Composition No. 13, 2020
Cotton, fabric paint, flour resist dyed fabric 78" x 85"
In 2014 I became interested in the cloth created by a Chinese ethnic minority who over dye their indigo cotton with mixtures of ox or pig blood and peppers. They cover one side of the fabric with egg whites and then beat the cloth with mallets. This results in a piece of fabric that is very shiny on one side and matte on the reverse. I have spent the last five years working with this fabric. In many ways the later pieces in this series are self-portraits of a sort. To most people I seem very strong and self sufficient. Only upon closer inspection can you see the detail, complexity, and fragility of my emotional base. Like this fabric, for the careful observer there is a lot to discover.
Judy Kirpich
Indigo Composition No.8, 2018
Cotton, flour resist dyed fabric 55"H x 55"W
In 2014 I became interested in the cloth created by a Chinese ethnic minority who over dye their indigo cotton with mixtures of ox or pig blood and peppers. They cover one side of the fabric with egg whites and then beat the cloth with mallets. This results in a piece of fabric that is very shiny on one side and matte on the reverse. I have spent the last five years working with this fabric. In many ways the later pieces in this series are self-portraits of a sort. To most people I seem very strong and self sufficient. Only upon closer inspection can you see the detail, complexity, and fragility of my emotional base. Like this fabric, for the careful observer there is a lot to discover.
Judy Kirpich
The Day After No.5/May 25, 2020, 2020
Hand dyed cotton 45'H x 47"W
The Day After series was begun in 2016 after the Orlando Pulse massacre. The series reflected my confusion and anxiety regarding the state of our country during the Trump administration. This piece was started after the murder of George Floyd.
Judy Kirpich
Memory Loss No. 8, 2020
Hand painted fabric, hand dyed cotton, 48"h x 69"W
The loss of memory is not a sudden event. Memory comes and goes; it fades in and out. There are bright spots where recollections are sharp and focused, and darker areas where people and events are no longer accessible. Confusion and often anger reign. Both my mother and mother-in-law were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and their present and past battles with this disease have informed this series.
Judy Kirpich
Memory Loss No. 6, 2019
Hand painted fabric, Hand dyed cotton, 30"H x 75"W
The loss of memory is not a sudden event. Memory comes and goes; it fades in and out. There are bright spots where recollections are sharp and focused, and darker areas where people and events are no longer accessible. Confusion and often anger reign. Both my mother and mother-in-law were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and their present and past battles with this disease have informed this series.
Judy Kirpich
Anxiety No.11/Retirement, 2017
hand dyed cotton 48"H x 78"W
I started working on the Anxiety series in early 2008 and I am still working in this series. From the economic hardships of the Great Recession and the trials and tribulations of running a 35 person design agency to family issues that include depression and cancer, I have battled anxiety for many years. The techniques of slashing through fabric that I used in this series helped me both emotionally and physically to deal with my complicated feelings.
