Judith Cunningham

Judith Cunningham, we are so sad to annouced died August 21, 2015, one year and one day after the death of her partner, Ellen Dittebrandt. They lived in Hood River, Oregon painting fantastic pastels (in Ellen’s case acrylic paintings) of the surrounding country from the Columbia Gorge to the Steens Mountains. Judith’s own thoughts best described her work: “When I am painting I become one with the paint and try to keep intellectual ideas to a minimum. While working, I relate only to surfaces, thus much of the transmission of subtle intuitive feelings about a subject is sub-conscious. My intention is to share a vision with others, and when others connect with it: validation”.

Having grown up in California, Judith had an inner need for the emptiness found in open space. Her inspirations came from the wheatfields, open skies, rivers, rocks and even quiet small city alleys. She traveled with her camera, shooting as the mood moved her, sometimes stumbling on just the right shot of a striking land pattern, cloud formation or a nebulous kind of atmosphere at a particular location bathed in a perfect light. Judith shared her impressions of nature, color and design with all those lucky enough to view her richly hued pastel paintings.

The following images are limited giclees of Judith Cunningham’s original pastels that we have available.