James Judge
I was born in Deptford, South London, a riverside town. A short walk through the backstreets via Deptford Creek leads to Greenwich and its power station. Here the river becomes a site of industry; cranes and gantries loom overhead adding to the unwelcome atmosphere of a working river. The memories and feelings associated with this part of the Thames have remained with me ever since my childhood.
As a painter today I now find myself drawn to the lower Thames in search of material for paintings; from the Dartford crossing out to the estuary at Southend, with particular interest in the riverside towns of Gravesend, Purfleet, Rainham,Tilbury and Grays. These sites with their factories, wharves, forts, power stations, ferries, pylons, warehouses, pontoons, piers and shipping present endless possibilities for imagery. Using a camera to gather images, I walk and cycle the river path, returning repeatedly at all times of the year, remaining open to anything that presents itself. I sift through the image files for a possible subject to scale up on to canvas, paper or board.
For centuries the Thames has continued to inspire writers and painters; I am moved by the paintings of Turner, Whistler and Michael Andrews and the writing of Dickens,Peter Ackroyd and Iain Sinclair; each one feeding the eye and the mind. If I can bring something of myself to the subject, drawing on my own history and those that inspire me, I will be more than satisfied.