Judy Manherz has been focusing primarily in chalk pastels since the 1980’s, although she has been producing artistic pieces using other media for many more years. The lure of chalk pastels proved to be too much to resist as they allowed for depth and layering to capture life within the subject. Naturally, she wanted to fine tune her techniques and skills and continues to do so today. She works mainly from photographs, which allow her to complete compositions from around the world. Her projects include portraits of pets, wildlife and people, along with an array of composites.
Judy’s life has been surrounded by pets, particularly dogs and cats. She trained dogs most of her life and spent the recent 4 years training service dogs for military and first responders with PTSD. Her love for animals is emphasized by her ability to capture her subject and bring it to life on paper. Her paintings have caught the attention of various dog show/training organizations and portraits by her have been awarded as top winning trophies for several dog shows and obedience trials.
Awards won by Judy include an Award of Excellence and Members’ Choice Award with the Nepean Fine Arts League for “Who Let the ‘Dobes Out?” and an Honorable Mention for “Afternoon Watch.” Her work has been sold on National television through the Public Art Auction, in Watertown, NY, and through the CNIB Art Auction at the National Art Gallery in Ottawa. She was invited into the Wildlife Festival to exhibit in 2004-2007.
Judy was raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. She attended the University of Waterloo, where she studied Kinesiology. She worked as an exercise specialist before entering police work. A former police officer, Judy taught Police Foundations at Algonquin College for 17 years before retiring in 2019. She is the very proud and grateful mom of her grown sons and stepson. In addition, Judy’s family happily expanded in 2019, by the addition of her husband’s sons and their families. She resides in Ottawa with her husband, Ken.