Joseph Gallivan interviews abstract painter Judy Cooke

On Tuesday June 30 2015 Joseph Gallivan interviews painter Judy Cooke whose show Choose is at Elizabeth  Leach Gallery from July 2 to Auguset 29. 
Cooke talks about Portland in the 1960s and 1970s, her fascination with design and architecture, her method for making abstract paintings with some figurative elements, and the idea of "solving" a painting like a problem. 


Prerecorded audio edited by KBOO volunteer Sam Parrish

From the press release: 

July 2 - August 29, 2015
Judy Cooke
Choose
Recent paintings
In July the Elizabeth Leach Gallery will present Greek Studys & Test Tubes, by Al Taylor and Choose,
recent paintings by Judy Cooke. Both artists have spent their careers pursuing similar concerns of
space and line through abstraction. There will be a First Thursday reception for both exhibitions on July 2,
2015 from 6 - 8 pm
 
One of the Northwest's most influential painters, Judy Cooke has been exploring abstract imagery and
the structure of painting for over 30 years. With a strong understanding of and connection to the genres of
geometric abstraction and abstract expressionism, Cooke explores the space between paintings and
sculpture, examining the physical nature of the work. Trained as a draftsman and printmaker, Cooke
brings structured discipline and rigor to her seemingly free form abstract compositions. In Choose,
Cooke’s interest in form and line manifests in the dynamic relationship between the plane of the wooden
surface and its dimensional construction, allowing color to guide the conversation. Bold, yet subtle
gestures constitute Cooke's visual language, creating a means through which she comments on the world
around her.
Judy Cooke majored in printmaking at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She received her
BFA at Tufts University (Medford, MA) and a MAT at Reed College (Portland, OR). She has exhibited
extensively, including a retrospective at the Art Gym, Marylhurst University (Lake Oswego, OR), and
exhibitions at Portland Art Museum (Portland, OR), and Tacoma Art Museum (Tacoma, WA). She has
been the recipient of numerous prestigious grants, including the Flintridge Foundation Award for Visual Art
(Pasadena, CA), Regional Arts & Culture Council Visual Artist Fellowship Grant (Portland, OR), Oregon
Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship in Painting (Salem, OR) and the National Endowment for the
Arts Visual Artist Fellowship. Her work is included in the collections of the Portland Art Museum (Portland,
OR), Tacoma Art Museum (Tacoma, WA), School of the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA), and Boise Art
Museum (Boise, ID), among many others..