Judi Ekholm

Artist Statement about 2026 Exhibit

For over forty years, painting has been my way of responding to the land - its light, its mood, and above all, its color. Color is where I begin and where I find the most joy. It is the thread that runs through everything I do, the element I return to when I am searching for the heart of a painting.

In preparing for my 2026 exhibit at Edgewood Orchard Galleries, I gave myself permission to try new things. I wanted to push further - to be bolder with color, to experiment with composition, and to explore the tension between simplicity and complexity. Some paintings are stripped down, guided by just a few carefully chosen hues. Others are built up slowly, with color layered and nuanced across every passage of the canvas. Moving back and forth between these approaches taught me a great deal. It has been a process of stretching and discovering, as painting always is.

The exhibit includes four series, worked in oil and acylic on canvas, panels, and aluminum. Abstractions of the Land grew out of time spent in the interior areas of Door County, where I found myself less interested in literal representation and more drawn to using color to distill a place into feeing and atmosphere. The Bouquet Series began closer to home - acrylic paintings inspired by the flowers my husband brings me. These are intimate works, and color is their whole reason for being: saturated, luminous, and full of warmth. Meadow and Field explores the patterns and repetitions found across open land. Here, color carries the rhythm just as much as shape or line does, and I found myself delighting in the subtle variations that appear when you really slow down and look. Wild Gardens are oils painted up close to untamed patches of earth - places where flowers and vegetation grow freely and abundantly - and the range of color found there never ceases to surprise me.

My hope is that these paintings pass along some of the joy I felt in making them, and perhaps offer a fresh and colorful way of seeing familiar ground.

ADVENTURES 2026- A year to explore, create and experiment with new ideas.

Hello everyone. Sometimes it is actually thought provoking to put into words not paintings what and why one paints. Just sharing with you today my artist statement. I hope you enjoy the written word and if you have any comments please do not hesitate to get back with me. Have a day today filled with just the good things in life . We all deserve this.

"My art is born from an intimate dialogue with nature, a reservoir of emotions translated onto canvas. I don't simply observe the natural world; I absorb its essence, allowing it to resonate within my mind, heart, and soul. These internal landscapes then find their expression in my paintings.

My process is one of discovery. Sometimes the canvas reveals a bold statement, other times a whisper of soft color. Dreamy washes, joyful bursts, tranquil scenes, hints of mystery, and playful whimsy - all emerge as reflections of the feelings nature evokes within me. I strive to capture not just the outward appearance of a landscape, but its emotional being.

Through color, form, and texture, I aim to share these emotional experiences with the viewer. My hope is that my paintings offer a glimpse into a world beyond the ordinary, a shared experience of the profound and often subtle emotions that nature inspires. More than mere representations, my works are invitations to connect with the emotional undercurrents that bind us to the natural world and to our own inner selves."
-Judi Ekholm, 2025

Judi has been a exhibiting artist at Edgewood Orchard Galleries for over thirty years. She obtained a MAT degree from Indiana University. She is the proud grandmother of five and spends her time between Door County summers and Florida winters. Her paintings can be found in over 2000 international private and public collections. When not in her studio she can be found on her daily rides and walk about with her wonderful dog Molly and husband Reed.