Oil and pastels are Judy’s favorite mediums, and she
likes to use a lot of color — especially fall colors,
which are her favorite for backgrounds. For sharp
images, she uses oils, and for animals and particular
portraits, she employs pastels on suede for a softer
look. Using the latter method, she paints her animals
to look like they could jump out of the page.
One of her favorite animals to portray is the wolf. She
and her husband, Jeff, used to visit the Wolf People
of Cocolalla and were privileged to be present when
a litter of cubs was born. Of course, the experience
found its way into one of Judy’s paintings, and
wolves have been the subject of many of her works.
Inspirations for her art come from life experiences.
Judy has attended powwows with the Coeur d’Alene
tribe, which inspired some lovely portrayals of
people in full regalia, dancers, and other scenes of
Native American history and life.
The mountain men in her paintings are inspired partly
from the 49er’s Parade in Winthrop. Their faces
pop out of the canvas and give the impression they
could talk if anyone listened carefully. “Whether I
am painting portraits of people or animals, I always
paint the eyes first, because they start to come to life
that way,” Judy explained.
With her husband, Jeff, Judy has attended the
Western Montana Art Show, and on one of her trips,
they spotted some mountain goats by the side of the
road. Jeff pulled over so his wife could take pictures,
and she used the photographs to paint the elegant
animals. In fact, Judy uses photos she and her
husband have captured in their travels, rather than
set up an easel on site. “The lighting changes,” she
explains, “and so does the moment.”
Although she is not active in Bonners Ferry now,
Judy was a charter member of the Boundary County
Art Association, of which Myers was also a member.
Judy is presently a member of the Oil Painters of
America, Pastel Society of America, Western
Heritage Association, Western Art Association, and
the Portrait Society of America.
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