Dear Reader,
Several months ago, I was asked by the director of a local
gallery space to think about mounting an exhibition of my late
husband John Gaumond’s photographs and my work. At first,
it was one of those idea seeds that did not seem to land in
fertile soil. But then, a bright green sprout emerged, much
to my surprise. Why not select ten of John’s signed, matted
and framed photographs and create ten artworks based on each
one? It could be a wonderful way of honoring John’s talent.
The sets would hang side by side, with my work echoing his.
Knowing my penchant for abstraction, my exhibit statement would
stress the difference between his photographs and my interpretation
of them. I could compare them to films being made from books,
being not-too-faithful adaptations at that.
I proposed the idea to the director, and it was accepted for
September-October 2026. Now to find out if I could actually
do it! An idea is an idea, but the transition into reality might
not be within my creative reach. I disclosed my hesitation to
the director and was given the option of redesigning the exhibition
with work of my choosing. Open doors all the way.
I chose the first of John’s pieces and walked around for
a couple of weeks thinking about how to begin. I studied it
intensely, absorbing the colors, the light and the design. Then
what? Canvas? Paper? Collages? Mixed media? Paints? Ink? Crayon?
Oil pastels? Sketch? Trace? Yes, tracing the composition seemed
like a good beginning. I decided to use 12” by 12”
canvas paper, because it would hold up under gooey applications
of medium that hold layers of paper together and could be matted
and framed, like John’s work. I started transferring the
design by tracing and cutting the sections onto the canvas paper.
I reached for art tissue to create the shapes and stepped into
the non-verbal world of art making.
As I type this blog, I am set to begin my fourth “echo”
of John’s photographs. But here is the first set:
“Copenhagen, Denmark – 2004” – John Gaumond
“Echo One” – 2025 – Judith Ferrara
