Dan Devening, “Untitled” (2016), acrylic on Yupo on panel, 20 x 16 inches (image courtesy Gary Stephan)
“I have been looking at this painting and receiving relief like a cool drink on a hot day.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Continuing my inquiry into the ways that artists look at the work they live with, I’ve been asking the following questions: In the context of rampant disease, do you look at your personal collection differently now, and which works in particular? Is there one that especially resonates with you at this weird, frightening moment? And does it take on new meaning?
Judith Linhares (Brooklyn): In these long indoor days, the tendency toward reflection is pretty much endless. I’m fortunate to have friends to talk to on the phone, paintings to make, and a big, light place to inhabit. My walls are stacked high with works by artist friends. I really like showing my collection to visitors — it is almost like sharing a family album. The works have been acquired over a lifetime and represent so many different time periods, ways of making things, ways of thinking about things, and the comradeship that is the artist-to-artist world.