Tuesday, May 05, 2026

It's Perivale season, the gallery opens May 15

 

                                                            Lean into the Silence.  

Men's shirting, white silk, foundation pieced, hand stitched, wooden framed size is 14 x 14 inches.  


    

                                        Ceremony for Mystery 

silk thread embroidery on domestic cloth, wooden famed size is 20 x 17 inches


Ceremony for Memory
 
    silk thread embroidery on domestic linen with velvet applique,
metal framed size is 40 x 20 inches.

Judy Martin exhibits at Perivale Gallery on Manitoulin Island, Ontario Canada every season.  Perivale has been awarded Best of the Best by Trip Advisor.  The gallery opens to the public on Friday May 15.  There will be an opening reception (honouring Ivan Wheale) on Saturday May 16.  

Visit Judy Martin's artist page on the Perivale Gallery website at this link.

Thursday, April 23, 2026

entered private collections


 Cape of Rain entered private collection.


Velvet Journal: the Rescuer entered private collection


Prayer Cloth: Hope entered private collection.

These three pieces as well as Healing Cloth (previous post) sold into private collections during the solo exhibiiton at 100 percent silk shop and gallery that occurred in Toronto during the month of February 2026.

I will write a description about each one of these pieces on 100 quilts soon.  

Thank you to the collectors of my work for your support.  I hope that you will enjoy living with these pieces.  

Monday, April 20, 2026

Quilt Block contest, Judy Martin one of the judges

Alicia Wright

Alena Skarina

100% silk shop and gallery held a quilt block contest in March.  In early April, Judy Martin was asked to be a judge along with a previous exhibitor at the gallery (Sarah Nsikak) and last year's winner ( Natalie Jean Slater) . The theme was MOUNTAIN. 

Most of the blocks were very well made.  What was remarkable was the amount of imagination and intent that went into so many of them.  The two in this post were our unaminous top choices.  

The quilt was unveiled on April 4 and there is a raffle, $10.00 per ticket, drawn on april 22.  All proceeds to go to charity, Community Fridges Toronto.  


It was impressive how many people entered, and how hard they each worked on their blocks.  There were such very artistic and unique results, it was a pleasure to be able to see them.  I had not expected the conceptual rigour or the skills needed to carry out such original ideas.  Congratulations to everyone who entered.  Also, my hat is off again to Inez Genereux and Lee Dekel from 100 percent silk  shop and gallery, a very respectful and ambitioius undertaking that made a community come together.  Well done.  

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Healing Cloth enters private collection


Healing Cloth  avocado stone on silk, silk threads, hand stitch,35 x 26 inches (89x 66 cm)  2026 

Judy began stitching this silk in 2021 as a way back into stitching something new after an intensive period of preparing for the In the Middle of the World exhibiiton she had with Penny Berens.  You can see the beginnings of this piece in this blog post. and the continued stitching in 2022 accompanied by a poem by Rumi in this post.  

Stitching this small cloth so intensely gave the artist solace.  

Healing Cloth was sold in February 2026, from the exhibition hosted by 100 percent silk .  

Sunday, March 15, 2026

save the date

 


Judy Martin and her daughter April Martin have been invited to exhibit their artwork at the Craft Ontario gallery in Toronto this summer.  

Dates:  June 17 - July 25 2026

Gallery Address:  401 Richmond St W Suite #108, Toronto, ON M5V 3A8, Canada

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Feminine Writing

prayer to the sky reverse side

On February 12, Judy Martin made a zoom presentation about her work in quilts to the Kanata Quilt Guild.  Each time Judy speaks about her work, she learns more about herself and about how it fits into the larger world of poetics and fine art.  During this talk, Judy introduced the ideas of French philosopher / intellectual / writer, Helene Cixous that describe feminine writing.  

The feminine writer, like a mother, looking with a look that recognizes, studies, respects, doesn’t take, doesn’t claw, but attentively, with gentle relentlessness, contemplates and caresses, bathes, and makes the other shine.  She brings back to light the life what has been buried, and signs its name.  H. Cixous 

basic goodness reverse side

Judy also quoted Louise Bourgeois in her talk on February 12.  In her last decades, Bourgeois made art pieces from her hoarded clothing and domestic cloth, and famously stated:  Art is a guarantee of sanity.  For Bourgeois, creating art is a life-saving, curative tool for porcessing trauma and emotional struggles and was not just a decorative object or product.  

Images of Judy's current work introduced and ended the talk.  During the presentation, Judy discussed and illustrated about how her mothering, her worrying, and where she lives are always within her work.  

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Quilts are Journals: The catalogue

 


There is a sweet catalogue about the Quilts are Journals exhibition at 100 percent shop and gallery that has gone through a re-printing.  The catalogue contains the complete transcript of an interview that Judy Martin had with Anni Spadafora before the exhibition opened. 

To purchase ($10.00) :  contact the gallery:

1558 Dupont Street , Toronto, ontario

 hello@100percentsilkshop.com  416-419-3662

The 100% gallery also had the entire show professionally photographed by Miki Francis Sankara.  Those magical photos can be seen on the 100% shop and gallery's newsletter at this link.  

Many thanks to 100% silk for hosting a mini-retrospective of Judy Martin's work and providing a printed catalogue.