Meditations in Motion

A new exhibition at Winston Wächter Fine Art invites visitors to slow down, look inward, and experience art as a reflection of emotional weather. Meditations in an Emergency, on view through April 25, marks a significant shift in Seattle artist Joe Rudko’s practice—one that trades photographic precision for something more immediate, intuitive, and deeply personal.

After more than a decade working in photography and collage, Rudko has turned his attention to pastel drawing. His shift began as a quiet, early-morning routine as part of a broader effort to stabilize his mental health after a bipolar disorder diagnosis and has evolved into a central pillar of his creative life.

The exhibition’s title nods to both personal and cultural urgency. Inspired in part by “Meditations in an Emergency” by Frank O’Hara, the work channels a similar sense of immediacy rooted in lived experience. Rudko’s drawings build from soft, layered fields of color, becoming a foundation for intuitive marks: spirals, mirrored forms, and bold lines that cut through gradients. The result is less about depicting reality and more about capturing internal states that are fleeting, complex, and often difficult to name.

That shift from photography to pastel came with its own surprises. “What struck me was how quickly a visual language took shape,” Rudko explains. The tactile nature of oil pastel allows for a kind of directness that bypasses overthinking. The work unfolds in a stream of consciousness, guided more by instinct than intention.

That same openness extends to the viewer experience. Rather than asking for interpretation, the drawings invite connection. “When you see a bold line, you can picture making it yourself,” Rudko says. “It invites you in.” He adds that there is a childlike accessibility in that approach—an embrace of imperfection and personal meaning that he hopes will allow each visitor to take away something different.

Don’t miss the artist talk with Rudko and fellow Seattle artist Amanda Manitach on Saturday, April 25 at 2 pm, offering a deeper look into the ideas and practices behind the work.