Judy Cheng’s paintings are, in a sense, the antithesis to prevailing notions of landscape painting. She doesn’t depict rolling hills, grand vistas, peaks and clouds, rather, she offers a study of what the landscape is really composed of. Under the tutelage of her close friend, legendary Vancouver artist Gordon Smith, Judy’s evocative, energetic pictures point their gaze downwards and straight ahead into the thickets. As she wrestles with the raw canvas, everything is brought directly to the front of the picture plane while pockets of space and depth are discovered and carved out of the composition. The branches, bushes, dirt, sticks, snow, leaves, and flowers jostle for position, crafting a dense, rhythmic mosaic.

Judy Cheng: “You begin to see beyond the subject and color, and eventually you just allow the paint to move you. Painting has given me a different perspective of looking at your surroundings. I see art in everything and it inspires me to continue to create, experience and enjoy.”

Gordon Smith: “For many years I have been privileged to have known and worked with great architects and artists. I have taught at all levels, at UBC, Emily Carr and others. Judy and Jim Cheng have been friends of mine for many years. Judy has visited my studio and shown me her work; she understands what painting is all about. Before it is a landscape it is the act of painting, like a de Kooning. We have shared experiences photographing images together, but her painting is her own and I admire her work very much. I have learned from her.”