Why Me?

Some people have asked how I was chosen for a Solo Show in a fabulous venue like the Customs House Museum in Clarksville, Tennessee (starts Oct. 5th). The story begins several years ago….

I was first introduced to the Customs House Museum when my painting “In the Spotlight” was an award winner in the juried 2016 Biennial Exhibition of the Tennessee Watercolor Society (TnWS). This artwork was also one of 30 selected for the Exhibit's Traveling Show and the final stop was hosted by the Customs House Museum. Not only was my painting chosen to appear on the Museum’s outdoor banner promoting the exhibit but it was also purchased by one of the Museum directors. Two years later I was highly honored in the 2018 TnWS Biennial Exhibition at the exhibit venue, the Customs House, when my colorful watercolor “Eat Chicken” won Best in Show.

My gratitude goes out to the Tennessee Watercolor Society and its many volunteers whose efforts have benefitted me and made this valuable exposure possible. In the process of these two events I was fortunate to meet and establish a bond with the Museum curator Terri Jordan. We kept in contact and I let her know about my various art milestones, such as being named the 2019 Wildflower Artist of the Year, acceptance into the International Society of Scratchboard Artists, and selection as an Ampersand Art Ambassador.

Much to my surprise, in the summer of 2019 I received an email from Terri, which read:

“I am working on my upcoming exhibit schedules and would love to have you do a solo show with us. I’m looking at Oct-Dec of 2021. The Jostens Gallery can house 10 to 15 pieces depending on size. Let me know if this would interest you.”

At the time it seemed so-o-o-o-o far off, but, of course, I immediately responded “YES!!” Absolutely it interested me!!

I pondered a theme and a title for my exhibit for a long time. I analyzed my passion for art and how it gratifies me in so many ways. I get enormous pleasure not only from the creative process, but also from sharing my artwork with others. Perhaps I’ve always retained the ‘art teacher’ side of me, since I use many opportunities to share my techniques, inspiration, discoveries, and even blunders. I strive to inspire others to find an interest which they can be passionate about, not necessarily art but maybe music, baking, being a re-enactor, or a myriad of other activities.

In putting together my exhibit I wanted to make it more than simply paintings hanging in a gallery. I wanted the visitors to experience the artwork in diverse ways. How could I enhance the event to help people SEE things they might not otherwise notice, LEARN about different aspects of my art, and FEEL emotions generated by my paintings?

I also considered the strange events of the past two years with the Covid 19 pandemic. Many people distanced and quarantined and lost opportunities to participate in activities like art exhibits. I wanted my show audience to celebrate being there in person while also enjoying the artwork on multiple levels. The word “interactive” came to me over and over, although it seems to have taken on new meaning in recent times, referring only to social media and digital encounters. I decided my show could be filled with various "old-style" interactions, reminding us of the importance of being live and in person, while boosted with digital resources. Thus my show title “Interactions - Paintings of Judy Lavoie.”

Each of my paintings is an interaction of the colors, pigments, tools, painting surface and more. The techniques reflect my personal interactions; with artists past and present, with topics that challenge me beyond my comfort zone, and with years of experience with different media. To invite visual interaction I carefully plan and paint values, contrasts, details, vibrant vs. subdued colors, and soft vs. hard edges - all purposefully composed to direct the eye around the painting to the focal point.

Art is totally subjective and each viewer interacts differently. The paintings in this exhibit include expressive faces, flora and fauna, aging autos, decadent sweets and more. People often say my artwork stirs up emotions, like happiness, curiosity, affection, inspiration, amusement, or nostalgia.

When I’ve exhibited my work in watercolors, acrylics and scratchboards, viewers are often intrigued with the various media. So for this exhibit I decided to make a display of my five favorite art surfaces. I mounted actual unpainted sample pieces to a framed open panel so people can see and feel them… interacting with them! To make the display interesting I painted the background canvas with acrylics, leaving the white space which looks like it is in a denim pocket as my sample area of primed canvas. The canvas texture aided me in making the denim look real. The scratchboard panels and watercolor paper are attached with wild fluorescent cable ties so they can be lifted and handled, allowing vistors to feel the different surface textures and the thicknesses... interacting with them!

To add another dimension to my show, I am introducing ways in which the Museum visitor can enhance his or her experience with additional interactions on cell phones or other devices. I’m using QR codes can be scanned to easily link to online resources I have created:

Exhibit-goers can link to a video I narrate, walking them through the exhibit while I share a brief point of interest about each painting, such as my inspiration, media, techniques, or discoveries. Since I can't be there in person with visitors every day of the show, I hope this will add a more personal connection.
On select paintings, the label will have a QR code linking to more info either to my blog post or video featuring that specific art.

If you are new to QR codes, they are “Quick Response Codes” - blocks of black and white squares which can be scanned to connect to a specific digital function or link. They were introduced years ago but have more recently been gaining in popularity since it is no longer necessary to have a dedicated app on your device to read the code. Try reading the QR code I’ve put on my sample painting label below with your cell phone (if you don’t know how it’s easy to find online instructions on how to scan a QR code on your specific device).