"Sailors Take Warning," original watercolor © Judy Lavoie 2024
7 Feb 2024

Expanding My Horizons

posted in: Judy Lavoie, New Artwork, Nubble Lighthouse, Tips and Techniques, watercolor | 0

I’ve been using all my art time recently to paint, finally taking a breather to show you what I’ve been up to. My concentration for the past couple of years has been on scratchboarding, which I love. But it was time to change gears and get back to watercolors. As a longtime member of the Tennessee Watercolor Society, I wanted to have at least two new show-worthy watercolor paintings to enter the 2024 biannual exhition, to be held in Knoxville … Read More

"Making Our Marks" exhibit postcard
8 Jan 2024

A Really Big Show

posted in: art show, Judy Lavoie, scratchboard | 0

I’ve just hung over 40 pieces of my artwork in a 3-month solo exhibition! My scratchboards are featured, along with many of my watercolors, acrylics, and prints. The Art Gallery walls are full at the Rarity Bay Community Activity Center in Vonore, Tennessee. It is a beautiful venue and I am delighted to be able to present my work there. “Making Our Marks” is the title of the show, and it is the first in the gallery to feature artwork … Read More

"Dragonfly" scratchboard © Judy Lavoie 2023
4 Dec 2023

What is bokeh?

posted in: Judy Lavoie, New Artwork, scratchboard, Tips and Techniques | 0

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

Award Certificate for Hillbilly
8 Nov 2023

Fame & Fortune

posted in: Judy Lavoie | 0

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

sad emoji
11 Oct 2023

No Calendars

posted in: calendar, Judy Lavoie | 0

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

"Breeding Plumage" original scratchboard with inks © Judy Lavoie
2 Oct 2023

My Grand Slam

posted in: Judy Lavoie | 0

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

First Friday Art Walk in Knoxville
28 Sep 2023

‘Ever Been to an Art Walk?

posted in: awards, exhibitions, Judy Lavoie, scratchboard, watercolor | 0

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

A fun project using Claybord™ Art Tiles for jewelry
20 Sep 2023

Just For Fun

posted in: Claybord™ Art Tiles, Judy Lavoie, watercolor | 0

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

"Hillbilly" original scratchboard © Judy Lavoie 2023
29 Aug 2023

My International Hillbilly

posted in: exhibitions, International Society of Scratchboard Artists, Judy Lavoie, scratchboard | 0

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

"Sunny Bee" original scratchboard © Judy Lavoie 2023
5 Jun 2023

Saluting Honey Bees

posted in: Judy Lavoie, scratchboard, Scratchbord® | 0

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

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