More than being a likeness of Judith, there are aspects of her present in the way this painting was made.
I used a deep yellow for the underpainting like Judith does for many of her paintings. I wanted that to be something that remained visible in the work. It’s a little homage to her, and how I’ve always loved seeing her work in progress, because of the way the painting grows into a golden void. Yellow paint is forthright, optimistic and difficult to subdue – it makes itself known, usually as light, warmth and new life.
It’s fitting that yellow is the first gesture in this painting, and in Judith’s paintings, because they are works that are made to share a vision of things that are full of life.