LINDA JONES GIBBS
The art of Judith Mehr is astonishingly versatile, her subjects ranging from portraiture to still life, landscapes to scenes of everyday life, and religious depictions, both narrative and symbolic. Such diversity in thematic representations is matched by her ability to utilize various styles with equal adeptness. Her still life paintings are often rendered with precise brushstrokes and heightened realism, her ability to render light and reflections is superb. Mehr’s portraits are often rendered with a softer touch, and her landscapes often with a looser stroke, suggestive of atmospheric subtlety.
Consistent throughout her varied approaches and narratives is Mehr’s command of the medium. Like an orchestral director, she can summon forth from her palette and years of experience, the precise kind a tonal range and brushwork that is called for by a particular work. Her recent foray into social realism, for example, involves harder edged forms and more intense color, appropriate for harder edged subject matter. Mehr’s skill at a near photo realism can at times be deceptive when, upon close inspection, surrealistic content becomes evident. Drawn in by illusion, we notice that objects float and perspective that is skewed. Mehr’s art not only entices our senses but can lead us to ponder and seek a deeper meaning beneath the surface.
Linda Jones Gibbs, Ph.D.
Independent Art Historian