“I look forward enthusiastically to each new day, to see, as I did on my parent’s farm, what new inspirations will unfold for me. It is the great outdoors that inspire what I create on canvas. I love life, my family, friends, fans, and farm. I adore being involved in the community and sharing my visions with anyone I can. I re-tell Mother Nature’s stories on canvas, paintbrush happily in hand.”
Judy Leila Schafers is a country girl, through and through. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Judy grew up on her parent’s farm near Barrhead, Alberta. Judy and her husband Shane reside near Villeneuve in the idyllic Alberta countryside where they operate a small grain farm. Shane and Judy are the proud parents of two grown children, son Devin and daughter Jilene.
Judy’s key artistic influence has always been Mother Nature. She credits her parents for allowing her the freedom to immerse herself for countless hours exploring the Hemmerling farm, where she explored every rock, flower, country road and pond she could find. It was this solitary process of immersing herself in the rural landscape that provided the catalysts for Judy’s future artistic philosophy. Judy has always been inspired by the energy of plant life, of beautiful gardens, and the vast, ever changing Alberta skies.
Judy’s renderings of glittering snow, stoic rocks and the brilliant botanicals that depict a wondrous, natural vitality, denote a realistic style that Judy has perfected over time. Her botanical and floral paintings have been said to glow from within with translucent energy.
The artist’s traditional landscapes have been appreciated by patrons in view of their ephemeral, changing light. A trademark of Judy’s landscapes is her enigmatic, limited tonal palette. People often comment on how peaceful and filled with light the rural landscapes appear to be, and how the landscapes transport them to special times and places.
It was during high school, when Judy won honor awards for her art and completed her second acrylic painting, that Judy’s career was born. She recalls how the art teacher literally tossed painting supplies in her direction and told her to “just go for it!” Judy’s talents were honed without formal education, yet her work is defined by clients as being mysterious, ethereal and magical.
Judy’s first public exhibition was in St. Albert, Alberta, in 1993. She has continually exhibited her art in the Greater Edmonton, Alberta area, as well as in Northern communities of Alberta, in Red Deer, in British Columbia and in the US. Judy has been actively involved in numerous group artist exhibitions, beginning with the St. Albert Painters’ Guild in 1995. More recently, Judy has successfully entered solo and small group exhibitions at the Art Gallery of St. Albert, the Spruce Grove Art Gallery in Spruce Grove Alberta and with the Federation of Canadian Artists. In 2022, she achieved Associate Signature status with the Federation of Canadian Artists. She has served in several capacities on the boards of the Allied Arts Council of Spruce Grove, and the St. Albert Painters’ Guild. For several years, Judy took great pride in hosting her popular Open Studio Weekend in her light filled, Prairie Sky Studio.
Over the years Judy has been honored to win numerous art awards through various competitions. Her work has been enthusiastically received by private collectors around the world, including in the United States, Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand, Germany, Spain, Japan, China, UAE, and Iran. Her art also resides within corporate collections of the City of Spruce Grove as well as within several accounting firms, law firms and other businesses.
When she is not immersed in creating her treasured paintings and learning the business of art, Judy enjoys gardening, photography and connecting with friends and family.