Judith Daner designed this pair of stunning Mid-Century Modernist enamel-on-copper artworks. Each panel is a one-tile plaque mounted on the original walnut wood frame. The abstract and stylized design features a cityscape and various types of buildings. Judith Daner employed the stenciling technique to create a layered, dimensional effect rendered in red, orange, dark red, brick, and black enamel colors. All the various colors are set against a natural pink-copper sky background. The process took multiple firings to accomplish. The signature is located in the bottom right corner of each panel, marked with the initials "JD."
Measurements for one panel:
Reference: Judith Daner (1936 - 2023)
Based in Ashland, enamellist Judith Daner was raised in New York and studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn before settling in Massachusetts. In her early 20s, she began her career doing finish work at an enamel giftware company in Connecticut. Her illustrious art career started with pencil illustrations in the Far Rockaway High School yearbook. She later graduated with Top Honors from Parsons School of Design in New York. She began her work as a designer for Bovano of Cheshire, CT, and Robert Wuersch Associates of Fall River, MA, where she designed an extensive catalog of influential mid-century art. She also created numerous special commissions for corporate institutions. Her work was featured in the windows of Bergdorf Goodman in New York, and she had the rare honor of having three pieces selected for the 1975 Limoges Biennale Internationale in France. Her work is in private collections and exhibited in galleries worldwide. However, as she developed her style and technique, she continued to approach her work not as a metalsmith but as an artist.
First and foremost, Judith was a dynamic art teacher who loved her students. She taught enameling at the Worcester Center for Crafts for over 20 years, as well as at Brookfield Craft Center, the De Cordova Museum School, Snowfarm, Metalwerx, and the West Palm Beach Enameling Guild.
Judith Daner's works were visible at the Worcester Center for Crafts and other art venues and institutions. She divided her time between teaching and creating more enamel compositions until her passing on April 28, 2023.