Fine Art
JUDITH CARLIN
Artist's Expressive Paintings Convey a Wide Range of Stories About the Human Experience
Judith Carlin
Photo Courtesy: Judith Carlin
Photo Courtesy: Judith Carlin
|
"I've been admiring Judith's work for some time, and I've been particularly drawn to the powerful messages in her "Human Trafficking Series." The horrifying reality of human trafficking is a global problem. I asked Judith to answer questions about this series as well as her unique style and the women artists who have inspired her work." ~ Myrna Beth Haskell, executive editor
How would you describe your unique style? Your work certainly draws the viewer in.
I don’t like to label my style as it’s just something that comes from me. Many people in the art world have labeled me as an expressionist, and I’m fine with that, as I was extremely influenced by the German Expressionists, such as Emil Nolde, Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Kathe Kollwitz. Francisco Goya’s Black Paintings and Edvard Munch also were strong influences and probably contributed to my style. By the way, thank you for calling it unique. You use a wide range of vibrant colors, and texture also plays an important role in your work. Anything you’d like to say about color/texture and how these are used to convey your messages? It’s a question I’ve been asked many times since much of my subject matter is dark. I feel our world is a loud world and vibrant colors convey this. It’s the same with texture. I feel it adds a visceral element to it. |
Page Sponsor:
|
Do You Know Where Your Children Are
Freehand Digital Painting ~ 32H x 40W x 1.5D inches © Judith Carlin |
Desperation
Freehand Digital Painting ~ 32H x 40W x 1.5D inches © Judith Carlin |
|
I’ve noticed that you’ve experimented with freehand, digital painting. Some of the elements in these pieces are similar to your oil/acrylic work. Anything you’d like to say about these different methods? Is it harder to create texture using digital methods? Since I’m new to freehand, digital painting, I find it much harder to create texture. However, I approach it like I do my oil/acrylic paintings. I just keep painting over and over again till I get a gritty, layered look and the emotional feeling I’m after. Your work instinctively inspires raw emotion and shines a light on the human experience in a way that simple words cannot. The expressions of the people in your paintings range from blissful to haunting. What other elements do you use to set mood?
Thank you so much as that’s what I try to do. I appreciate you saying it. I’m trying to provide an emotional experience. I’m not sure what other elements I use, but I think of each painting as a story, and I try my best to serve that story. Some of your work comments on subject matter that disrupts our sense of safety. Are there any pieces that were inspired by personal experiences or those close to you? Or are you inspired mostly by events you read about? My work is inspired by what I see, what I hear, what I read, what is going on in the world, what is going on with people close to me, and what I’m interested in. It’s more observational than anything else, but I’m sure some of my personal experiences work their way into it, whether I realize it or not. |
Pink Collar Job 10
Oil, Colored Gesso & Sand on Canvas ~ 30H x 24W x 0.8D inches © Judith Carlin |
Window Dressing
Freehand Digital Painting ~ 40H x 32W x 1.5D inches © Judith Carlin |
There are several pieces I'd like you to describe in more detail. I'd like to learn more about “Window Dressing.”
‘Window Dressing’ is one of the paintings in my human trafficking series, which includes 17 paintings and growing. I use a lot of symbolism in this painting to get the impact I want. The perspective is warped as are the lines in the painting to convey an unnatural reality. The loud, expressionistic colors express the feel of the painting. There are ‘For Sale’ bar codes above each glass door instead of house numbers. The composition is vertical instead of what should naturally be horizontal to give the row of houses a more confining and imprisoned feeling. The dominant color is red to represent a red-light district. In fact, this painting was inspired by the red-light district in Amsterdam and the women I spoke to who worked in the windows. The man with the gun behind the curtained glass door exposes the reality that many of these women are not there of their own free will and are being trafficked. The curtain implies that the buyers of these women do not see him. |
|
I find your piece “The Traffic is Bad” particularly haunting. The devil horns on her captors who wear “everyday” garb is powerful, portraying the idea of hiding in plain sight.
Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing and largest sources of income for organized crime. Millions of women, men and children are being exploited physically and sexually. In ‘The Traffic Is Bad,’ a young woman is being sex trafficked. Her shirt has a bar code on it spelling help between the lines. Her right thumb, trapped in her fist, is also the last gesture in the signal for help. The universal signal for help is an open hand and then the thumb crosses over the palm and the fingers crosses over the thumb trapping it. I put ‘devils’ in many of my paintings because, as you said, these are horrible people hiding in plain sight, and I want to bring light to this fact to make people more aware of these human ‘devils.’ According to "Global Report on TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS" published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), "...the most common form of human trafficking (79%) is sexual exploitation. The victims of sexual exploitation are predominantly women and girls. Surprisingly, in 30% of the countries which provided information on the gender of traffickers, women make up the largest proportion of traffickers. In some parts of the world, women trafficking women is the norm." |
The Traffic is Bad
Freehand Digital Painting ~ 32H x 40W x 1.5D inches © Judith Carlin |
We Met Online
Oil & Acrylic on Canvas ~ 30H x 24W x 0.8D inches © Judith Carlin |
Please share your thoughts about ‘We Met Online.” Although this one may not be part of the trafficking series, it does speak to personal safety. I love the texture and everything else about this piece!
Thank you, again. Hmmm, you’re right, this was not intended to be part of the human trafficking series. But now that I think about it, many human traffickers are online and using the ‘Romeo’ or ‘Loverboy’ method to get women to meet them. They woo the women and gradually lead them into prostitution under the guise of helping someone — this could be a person a woman might consider to be her new boyfriend. Sometimes, they just get kidnapped. So, it just might be a human trafficking painting after all. I originally did this as a warning to young women to be aware of who they meet online and on dating apps, and to be careful where they meet them. Do you consider yourself a “people watcher?”
Extremely. It’s one of my favorite things to do. Please name one or more women artists you have been inspired by. There are so many. Kathe Kollwitz, whom I mentioned earlier, is a huge inspiration. As soon as I discovered her, I studied her work over and over again. Her work says so much about the human condition during times of war. |
I’m inspired by Marlene Dumas because she’s so expressionistic and in your face.
Faith Ringgold fought for racial and gender equality through her work. Her work is so narrative, social/political, and compelling.
I’m also inspired by my women artist friends who are so talented and creative. Also, the benefits of being a member of the National Association of Women Artists and the [camaraderie with the] other women members constantly inspires me.
Faith Ringgold fought for racial and gender equality through her work. Her work is so narrative, social/political, and compelling.
I’m also inspired by my women artist friends who are so talented and creative. Also, the benefits of being a member of the National Association of Women Artists and the [camaraderie with the] other women members constantly inspires me.
Heartbreak Hotel
Freehand Digital Painting ~ 40H x 32W x 1.5D inches © Judith Carlin |
One is Not Like the Other
Freehand Digital Painting ~ 40H x 32W x 1.5D inches © Judith Carlin |
Where do you find sanctuary?
I find sanctuary in two completely opposite ways: traveling and exploring crowded, chaotic, busy cities or in a peaceful environment with just myself or my husband looking at water. Perhaps, I need them both because they work in synergy.
I find sanctuary in two completely opposite ways: traveling and exploring crowded, chaotic, busy cities or in a peaceful environment with just myself or my husband looking at water. Perhaps, I need them both because they work in synergy.
If you know someone who is in need of assistance, contact The National Human Trafficking Hotline or dial 1-888-373-7888.
|
Judith Carlin currently lives and works in Miami, Florida, but considers herself a citizen of the world. Exploring the human condition, our stories and how we treat each other, is her central theme. Judith wants her art to have an impact on the world: to inform, reflect, and evoke strong emotions. She’s a strong believer in the power of art — that a work of art can make a positive change in the world. Judith says that we're living in strange times, and as an artist, she feels the need to address this. When Judith paints, it's not a physical reality she’s after but an expressive and emotional one. She wants people to look at her paintings and come to a greater understanding and appreciation of how wonderful and diverse we all are in our shared humanity. Judith studied at the Art Students League of New York, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and Candid Fine Arts in London. Her art has been written about in many publications, and she has been the recipient of numerous awards. In addition to Judith’s paintings being in private collections, her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide. |
CURRENT & UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
"KEEPING IT COOL" Group Show Now through September 30, 2025 Marco Island Center For the Arts 1010 Winterberry Drive Marco Island, Florida "The Beauties of the Planet" Group Show Sept 1 - 7, 2025 Ni Museum Kumanovo Kumanovo, North Macedonia "ARTquake-16: All the CHILDREN cry in the same language" Group Show October 25 - November 7, 2025 Nigde Art Gallery Cappadocia, Türkiye |
