Paying My Dues

Some organizations allow you to join simply by paying your membership fee. For me to become an active member of the International Society of Scratchboard Artists (ISSA) it wasn’t that simple. To achieve active member status, an artist is required to submit 5 images of their scratchboard artwork, prepared to the organization’s sizing and file naming specifications… along with a fee for the review. A juror analyzes the work, rates it and provides a critique as feedback for the submitting … Read More

Painting Emma

I was ready to try a large watercolor portrait on white Aquabord™ and hunted through my reference photos for an inspiring subject. I had taken some photos of my 3 year old great-niece Emma a month earlier when we took her to a terrific children’s museum. She is cute, bubbly, and a happy little girl; she was excited and animated with the fun activities at the museum. I got some good photos of her but none of them jumped out … Read More

I’m An Ambassador

Earlier this month I received an invitation to be an “Ampersand Artist Ambassador” and I am truly honored. Ampersand™ Art Supply is family-owned company based in Buda TX which engineers the only archivally sealed artist panels on the market today. They produce the panels I love to use for watercolors and scratchboards and a variety of other art panels for many media… plus tools, inks, floater frames and more. The company hand-picked about 50 artists from across the US to … Read More

Going National – Hoorah!

At the encouragement of fellow watercolor artists, I decided to broaden my horizons and entered my artwork into a national exhibition – and I got accepted! My watercolor “Sorghum Maker” has been selected by juror Linda Baker as one of 77 from among 302 entries for the 41st National Exhibition of the Georgia Watercolor Society (GWS). Entry was open to all watercolor artists across the United States using watermedia to create original artwork. The exhibition will take place in Atlanta, … Read More

The People Voted!

I just learned that my painting “Heart To Heart” won another very special award in the 2019 Oak Ridge Open Show (which ended in November)… the “Open Show Viewer’s Choice Award.” This award is tabulated at the end of the show, by the votes from those who viewed the show during its display for over two months. This black Scratchbord® was one of my two paintings in the show and won an award from the judge – “Sorghum Maker” was … Read More

Greetings From The Real Santa & Me!

My recent focus on painting portraits has proven successful in eliminating most of my apprehensions, so I’m off and running. One thing I’ve learned is how much fun I have painting white-bearded males! Capturing white hairs is a challenge when painting in traditional techniques of watercolor on paper, where the white of unpainted paper is preserved vs. using any white paint – but a good challenge can help develop artistic skills. Recently I decided it was time to do a … Read More

Beware of the Cat!

The intense eyes of a money-cat which I photographed at our local animal shelter inspired this new scratchboard, just for fun. Our two outdoor cats have a wooden ‘cat house’ on our porch with a lid which opens like a toy box. Rick made an opening in a mouse-hole shape at one end so the cats fit into the box but our dogs do not… and hopefully no raccoons or skunks can enter as well! So for this painting, I … Read More

My First Acrylic Kudos

One of my most popular paintings, “When She Was Three,” has been selected as one of 105 winners out of 900 entries to AcrylicWorks 7: Color and Light. This is my first entry into an acrylic fine art competition, so the recognition is a new milestone in my fine art pursuits. AcrylicWorks 7 will be printed as a 100+ page special publication by the editors of the Artists Magazine. Each selected painting, chosen for strongly capturing the theme of “color … Read More

People Say The Nicest Things!

Two of my paintings are currently featured in the Oak Ridge (TN) OPEN SHOW 2019, and I am delighted to also receive my first award for a black scratchboard. Juror Victoria Boone gave critiques to every entry, and here are her comments about my art:  Heart To Heart “Magnificent detail in cat and dog – especially in the eyes with reflections. This makes this an extremely poignant pet portrait. Just amazing…” She awarded this painting Honorable Mention. Sorghum Maker “Beautiful … Read More

It’s Calendar Time Again

posted in: calendar, Judy Lavoie, news 1

My 2020 calendars are printed, with the cover and each month illustrated with a new painting I’ve created within the last year. I’ve been quite prolific and actually could have filled more months. Included are a variety of subjects, including some of my perennial favorites like flowers (wild and cultivated), animals (wild, farm and pets), and a still life with lace. I’ve also featured several of my recent ventures in human portraits. There’s even a fellow everyone should recognize. The … Read More

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