Artist At Play

Judd Williams Wood Pieces at Mercer Gallery in Rochester, New York
Judd Williams Wood Pieces at Mercer Gallery in Rochester, New York

Judd Williams, former painting, printmaking, sculpture and figure drawing teacher at Rochester Institute of Technology is having fun in retirement. I can tell. Just look at his current show at the Mercer Gallery which opened on Thursday evening.

On first glance it looks like things just come together, like he might find a piece of steel wool in his studio and an old can. Why not put them together? This piece of wood looks like a palette. Done. Almost anything works. He says, ” In my work with found objects, the pieces are inspired by the materials themselves, it’s like the object is a piece of language.”

But look again. This is the work of a master. Just as often he carefully constructs pieces to fit together in his Assemblages and sculptures He paints them and joins them in effortless and playful assemblages and sculptures. My favorite were these two wood pieces.

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