Born in ‘51 – in Pittsburgh – Judy Dougherty eschewed formal art training, earned a B.A. in Spanish Lit. and Language and moved to Toronto, Canada in ‘72. There she developed her artistic style, moved around the country and displayed her work in numerous galleries.
She has worked as a commercial illustrator, as a props builder at the National Arts Centre and has created original works for the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Judy’s work is the result of a lifetime fascination with the fantastic, the childlike, the sinister and the kinetic. It is inspired by children’s art, outsider art, and the advertising, illustration and comic-strip art of the early twentieth century.
Judy likes variety and has created etchings, pen & ink drawings, collage, acrylic paintings and mixed media work.
Drawing inspiration from such diverse sources as spent fire crackers and the birth of her granddaughter, Judy uses vintage paper, found objects, mixed media and unconventional techniques to create works that intrigue and challenge the viewer.
A self taught artist, her work is the result of a purely intuitive process. She considers her work to be “a revelation of detail and texture and an exploration of our common history.
“I am not inclined to comment on anything in the art world unless it is something that I feel is special, unique, fresh, exciting and/or relevant. Judy Dougherty’s work encompasses all of the above. What I love the most about her work is that Judy simply defies a category and is therefore wonderfully original. Judy’s work is seriously playful and aesthetically accessible to anyone with an eye for ‘cool’.”
Joel Pleet
Art consultant and former Director of Gallery four seven nine
Judy Dougherty
Drawing inspiration from such diverse sources as spent fire crackers and the birth of her granddaughter, Judy uses vintage paper, found objects, mixed media and unconventional techniques to create works that intrigue and challenge the viewer.
A self taught artist, her work is the result of a purely intuitive process. She considers her work to be “a revelation of detail and texture and an exploration of our common history.
“I am not inclined to comment on anything in the art world unless it is something that I feel is special, unique, fresh, exciting and/or relevant. Judy Dougherty’s work encompasses all of the above. What I love the most about her work is that Judy simply defies a category and is therefore wonderfully original. Judy’s work is seriously playful and aesthetically accessible to anyone with an eye for ‘cool’.”
Joel Pleet
Art consultant and former Director of Gallery four seven nine