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Judy Lavoie loves capturing everyday subjects such as beloved pets, flowers, rural scenes, fishing boats, and architecture, as well as depicting the exotic, such as frolicking dolphins and African wildlife. Judy paints in a highly realistic manner with a unique sensitivity to detail which has won her many awards for her fine art. “Watercolor and acrylic paints allow me to work in a variety of painting methods and on numerous surfaces, providing me with continuous challenges,” Judy reveals. She has developed a distinctive style, with dynamic use of color and dramatic lighting. She uses bold contrast and sharp edges to carry your eye to the center of interest, softening and muting tones in the rest of the painting. |
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Judy paints on watercolor papers, canvas, panels, scratchboards, and textured surfaces she creates herself, each adding its own uniqueness to the final result. “I love to present subjects in a way most people do not take the time to see themselves,” the artist says. “By exaggerating colors, or sometimes altering them from reality, I aim to preserve a moment in time, recreating the subject in my own way.” Judy most often does her own matting and framing to complete the presentation of her work.
Art has been a part of Judy’s life since longer than she can remember, and this is evident in her strong drawing skills. Her first art award was for a crayon drawing her teacher named “The Calico Cat” – when she was in the first grade! After receiving a B.A. in Creative Arts summa cum laude, she taught art in public schools, grades K-12, for a few years before becoming a commercial artist. |
| Judy’s education and experience created a solid foundation for her self-taught painting techniques. Her teaching and her own personal interests have lead her to explore and master many arts and crafts, but she has been addicted to watermedia since her introduction to it in 1979. Judy was named Artist of the Year for 2002 by the Jacksonville Watercolor Society and her long list of awards attests to the quality of her work.
Today, Judy paints primarily in acrylics, jogging between using them in a transparent watercolor manner and more opaquely. She works on canvases as well as on watercolor papers, varying her approach to each painting according to the painting surface, the subject matter, the effects she aims to achieve, and to the whim of the day! Most often, she has the finished painting pictured in her mind before it is even started. Judy’s strong design skills and graphic experience are undeniable in her paintings. Conversely, her graphic knowledge of digital art has also found its way as a tool in her fine art. Judy was one of the first in the country to use limited edition giclee prints to reproduce her work, scanning her original paintings to create digital files and printing in the finest quality inks available, as museum quality limited edition canvas and paper giclee prints. Her work is in private collections in the US and abroad and is exhibited in many juried shows. This online gallery features original paintings and limited edition fine art prints. Judy also does work on commission, including pet portraits and airplane portraits, also shown in the gallery of original work. Judy Lavoie is a signature member and multiple award-winner of the Florida Watercolor Society and has been honored with Best in Show and numerous other awards. Group Exhibitions and Competitions Florida Watercolor Society (only 100 paintings are chosen for annual exhibition) Solo Shows and Awards Solo Show, Buutterfield Garage Art Gallery, St. Augustine FL, March 2004 Artist of the Year, 2002, Jacksonville (FL) Watercolor Society Featured Artist - Tellico Art Center, Tellico Plains TN, December 2001 Honorable Mention, "Rose Medallion" Fall 2000 Exhibit, Jacksonville FL Watercolor Society Award of Excellence, "Out in Elkton", Members Show, St. Augustine Art Association, May 2000 Memorial Award, "Satisfaction", Fall 1999 Exhibit, Jacksonville FL Watercolor Society Solo Show, Joaneda House Gallery, St. Augustine FL, September 1999 Award of Distinction, "Molly-By-The-Sea", St. Augustine Art Association Members Show, Spring 1999 Opening Show, Joaneda House Gallery, St. Augustine, Florida, May 1998 Equal Award "Princess Darla" Animals Show, St. Augustine Art Association, March 1998 1st Merit Award "Cleaning the Conch" Fall 1997 Exhibit, Jacksonville Watercolor Society Bertha Nichols Award: "Nana's Rocker", Florida Watercolor Society, 1997 Exhibition Best in Show: "Nana's Rocker" Fall 1996 Exhibition, Jacksonville FL Watercolor Society Equal Award: "Catching Some Rays" Flora/Fauna Show, St. Aug. Art Assc, April 1996 Solo Show: P.A.St.A. Gallery, June 1995 Solo Show: Crescent Beach Art Gallery, Cresent Beach FL, July 1995 Wayne Sessions Award: "More Than We Think They Know", Fl. Watercolor Society, 1995 Merit Award: "Charlotte Street, St. Augustine", Jacksonville Watercolor Society, 1995 Honorable Mention Award: "Shirley's Zinnias", Members Show, St. Aug. Art Assc., 1995 Honorable Mention Award: "Charlotte St., St. Augustine" Honors Show, SAAA, June 1995 3rd Place : "Rodrigues-Avero-Sanchez House", Watercolor & Pastel, SAAA, Jan 1995 People's Choice Award: "The Waiting Room", Watercolor & Pastel, SAAA, Jan 1995 Honorable Mention Award: "Blue Angels" Florida Show, St. Aug. Art Assc., Dec. 1994 Honorable Mention Award: "Heron on San Julian Marsh", St. Aug. Art Assc., Spring 1994 Publications "Nana's Rocker" included in POURING LIGHT - Layering Transparent Watercolor by Jean Grastorf, published 2005, North Light Books. Memberships Education |
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