Judith Greenwald has been making art for much of her life. With a PhD in Psychology (1976), she worked as a practicing psychotherapist until retiring shortly before the pandemic. Her deep curiosity about what lies beneath the surface—of people, of images, of experience—has always fueled both her clinical work and her art-making.
Since 1997, Judith has been a member of Ceres Gallery, a feminist, artist-run space in New York City. Over the years, she has had eleven solo exhibitions and initiated collaborative projects that explore the intersection of visual art with poetry and music. In Poem, she painted works inspired by contemporary poets and invited them to read their pieces at the gallery. In Spirit, she responded to a spiritual poem and invited two friends—a sculptor and a composer—to create pieces based on the same poem, creating a conversation.
Judith’s work is primarily abstract and deeply rooted in materiality. She has always been intrigued by texture and a wide variety of materials, so it’s no surprise that her work reflects a strong tactile sensibility. There’s a spirit of experimentation throughout—she explores unexpected surfaces and techniques, pushing and transforming her materials in surprising ways.
One notable departure from abstraction was her show Displacement, where she portrayed human figures to express the heartbreak and humanity of the world’s displaced populations
Judith’s work is primarily abstract and deeply rooted in materiality. She has always been intrigued by texture and a wide variety of materials, so it’s no surprise that her work reflects a strong tactile sensibility. There’s a spirit of experimentation throughout—she explores unexpected surfaces and techniques, pushing and transforming her materials in surprising ways.
One notable departure from abstraction was her show Displacement, where she portrayed human figures to express the heartbreak and humanity of the world’s displaced populations
She is currently working on a new series called Taming Chaos, in which she attempts to bring a sense of order to her disordered canvases—a personal and spiritual response to the turbulence of the times.
In recent years, Judith has turned her attention to the relationship between creativity and aging. She developed a class called Artful Aging: ReEnchantment through Art/Play as a way to explore how art-making can support qualities essential to aging well—presence, courage, acceptance, a comfort with impermanence, and a willingness to enter the unknown. The class blends psychological insight, hands-on creative exploration, and a spirit of play. She is currently writing a book based on the class, with the aim of making these ideas more widely available.
Whether working in paint, collage, or mixed media—or inviting others into the creative process—Judith approaches art-making as a layered, intuitive journey that bridges inner and outer worlds, and invites discovery through play, presence, and reflection.
From a wide array of materials, I create paintings, assemblages, and collages intended to be emotionally resonant and evocative. My visual language is grounded in powerful physicality.
Sometimes acting as architect, I build up surfaces with oriental and handmade papers, paint, plaster, wood, sand, and found objects—layering, constructing, arranging space, and then rearranging it. Other times, as archaeologist, I dig, gouge, peel, probe, sand, and scratch—excavating meaning through texture and erosion.
The work reveals not only the complexity of the surface itself—the dynamic interplay of form, color, and texture—but also the mysteries that lie beneath: the layers of life and experience that are always present, though never entirely visible.
As both a retired psychotherapist and a visual artist, I am drawn to the creative process as a vital and liberating expression of human experience. My work is deeply personal. The paintings explore feeling states—sometimes joyful, sometimes filled with grief—but always attentive to the depth and arresting intricacy of inner life.
Displacement, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Belonging, Ceres Gallery, New York City
LifeLine, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Layers, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Spirit, Ceres Gallery, New York City
POEM, Ceres Gallery, New York City
reVISION, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Witness/Ethiopia, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Perspective, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Multiple Surfaces/Multiple Selves, Ceres Gallery, NYC
Transitional Spaces, Ceres Gallery, New York City
The Gallery, 2 Depot, Chatham, NY
Transitional Spaces, Spencertown Academy, Spencertown, NY
The War on Women, Ceres Gallery, New York City
International Juried Exhibition: Oil and Cold Wax
The Diversity of Women’s Voices, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Outside my Oeuvre, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Women’s Nature, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Shimmerings, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Towing the Line, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Scratching the Surface, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Square Show, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Krasdale Gallery, New York City
Issues and Angles, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Square Show, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Square Show, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Transformations, Lamia Ink, Sakai City, Japan
Transformations, Lamia Ink, Florence Lynch Gallery, NY
Summer Ensemble, Ceres Gallery, NYC
Spencertown Academy Benefit Show: Habitat for Humanity
Park Row Gallery, 10th Anniversary Show, Chatham, NY
Lulu’s Gallery, Albany, NY
Spencertown Academy Juried Show, Spencertown, NY (third
Mertz, Ward-Nasse Gallery, New York City
Art on the Block, Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York
OIA Salon Show, New York City
Open/Shut: Exploring Women’s Lives, The Crystal Quilt, New York
Holiday Salon Show, Ceres Gallery, New York City
Women’s Ways of Seeing II, The Crystal Quilt, New York City
Women’s Ways of Seeing, The Crystal Quilt, New York City