Judy Schavrien

Schavrien's art was featured in cover articles for On The Issues and for Art/Research International. She also received a nomination for Oakland (CA) Artist of the Year, along with 15 awards in the arts. "When I paint portraits I like to imagine that my decades giving psychotherapy join forces with the years in the studio. The faces must speak. At an exhibit, the greatest compliment I received was this: 'You remind me that I have a soul.'"

She studied and practiced Dzogchen, a Tibetan buddhism similar to Zen, with the Ven. Sogyal Rinpoche, called the laughing lama. This brand of earthy mysticism helped her heal mid-life when, in a mugging, she was shot in the face. The need to heal also catalyzed a journey around the world. Human face and gesture, in all its variety, impels her art, whether the art issues in her series about tragic Greek s/heroes, her grandscale works, or the good-natured miniatures and layered portraits featured in Alice at the Rabbithole Café.