Judy Carroll-Deeley explores the nature of interiority.  Her research involves enquiring into the timbre and quality of an existence lived 'within four walls', and how this can be materialised through painting. Interiority is a relatively recent notion, which emerged alongside ideas of individuality and privacy during the Enlightenment. Before this the idea of 'being for oneself' had not yet taken root in the public mind.  In Carroll-Deeley's paintings the private thoughts and wishes of the individual are hinted at in contrast to the publicly assumed persona.

Painting for Carroll-Deeley is an organic process whereby one answer or discovery on the canvas opens up new enquiries or possibilities for resolution. The work is informed by theories from psychoanalysis and surrealism, phenomenology and architecture. The ideas of Michel Foucault are also an influence.

For Carroll-Deeley the interior is frequently domestic, or it could be institutional – for example, the orphanage or boarding school as home. In her work as a housing welfare officer, Carroll-Deeley encountered many diverse notions of 'home'. Her paintings reflect the contested nature of this space and the anxieties surrounding the concept.