Judy Lavoie

Have you ever noticed a background in a photograph which has blurry circles of light against darker areas? This is a “Bokeh” effect, and is comes from a Japanese word meaning “blur quality.” Evidently it means than just the blur, it’s the overall effect of the soft out-of-focus background, from an aesthetic viewpoint. I have used this effect in watercolor paintings in the past, and recently saw other scratchboard artists apply bokeh nicely to their backgrounds. So I decided to … Read More

Fame and fortune on a small scale anyway! My new scratchboard “Hillbilly” was juried into the 2023 International Society of Scratchboard Artists 12th Annual Exhibition, among the works of just 41 scratchboard artists from around the world. This is a very prestigeous show with extraordinary artwork (see the Exhibition Catalog online) so I am very honored to be included again this year. But wait, there’s more… Hillbilly received an award as well. It is called the “4:02 Award” in memory … Read More

After serious consideration, I have decided not to create an art calendar for 2024. Time, costs and publishing obstacles are the main reasons: Creating the art, producing the calendar layout and completing many related steps require lots of my time; lately my ‘art time’ has been committed to a variety of activities, like teaching scratchboard classes, doing art presentations, entering competitions, volunteering at exhibitions, and prepping for a 3-month solo show. And I still need to sneak in time to … Read More

I’ve been juried into the annual Oak Ridge (TN) Art Center OPEN SHOW for the past five years, with 2 paintings accepted one year. But this is the first time I have scored four successes! Here’s how it has played out this year: My scratchboard “Breeding Plumage” was chosen by the juror Stephen Wicks, curator of the Knoxville Museum of Art, from 442 entries. His critique: “Exceptional attention to detail. Overall composition well served by use of color.” The juror … Read More

Knoxville Tennessee hosts a First Friday ArtWalk every month. In October two of my paintings will be featured in a gallery opening! The Emporium Center presents “As We Interpret Our World,” a special juried exhibition of artists from the 200+ members of the Art Guild of Tellico Village. My scratchboard “I Love A Challenge” and my watercolor “Blackberry Blossom” were selected to appear among 48 works of mixed media chosen for this show. But wait, there’s more… “I Love A … Read More

Since I was a child I have loved all sorts of arts and crafts projects. When I was in art school I was actually much more drawn to 3-dimensional arts, like weaving, pottery, jewelry, and sculpture. My big switch to painting came when I was teaching public school art in grades 7-12. I knew that, if I wanted to do a good job teaching drawing and painting, I needed to brush up on my own skills! I started painting in … Read More

One of my newest scratchboards has been accepted into the 2023 Exhibition of the International Society of Scratchboard Artists. Members from all over the world will be featured at this 12th annual International Exhibition at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson Arizona from October 14 – December 10, 2023. The scratchboard art in this show would take your breath away, it is so amazing. I am proud to have my “Hillbilly” among such great company. A fabulous goat photo … Read More

I often get a row of beautiful sunflowers blooming on the ground below our porch, from seeds dropped by birds at our feeders. Sunflowers follow the sun, and I captured this backlit photo early one morning. There were still dew drops on some petals, The early morning sunlight highlighted the yellow petals beautifully, especially in my backlit view. The image had lots of elements I like to capture in my art. I’ve painted sunflowers in watercolor and acrylics, but this … Read More

I’ve just learned that my watercolor painting on Aquabord™ “Baby Boomer” has been awarded the 2nd Place “Award of Excellence” in the Tennessee Watercolor Society’s 2023 Online Exhibition. In chosing the show and award winners, Juror Mary Ann Beckwith said “It is a wonderful collection of paintings executed with creativity and skill exemplifying the many competent watercolorists of the TnWS. I selected paintings with strong content, design, and beauty, drawing my attention and keeping it. It was difficult to pare … Read More

I’ve been sparse on blog posts lately, while busy with other art projects. After more than 40 years, I’ve returned to teaching! In the late 1970s I was a public school art teacher, covering grades K-12 during those years. When we moved to a community which didn’t need an art teacher, I learned new art skills on-the-job as a graphic artist. Now I’m teaching again… this time it’s scratchboarding! Scratchboarding is an uncommon art form and frequently generates great curiosity … Read More