Judy Richie is a native of Austin, Texas and has been active in art since an early age.  While still in high school she was chosen to attend a summer art camp at the University of Texas with the intent to major in art.  A minor detour of marriage, six children and moving to Colorado and later to Alaska to marry her present husband, Bob, interrupted that goal.

Judy lived near the small town of Lake City, Colorado where she painted and ran her own gallery and later owned and ran a bed and breakfast inn for 8 years.  She painted murals on some of the walls that two subsequent owners have chosen to leave intact.  While in Colorado Judy attended several oil painting workshops.  She also developed an abiding interest in the arts and crafts of the Native American, especially those of the Southwest.  While living in the small town of Valdez, Alaska, Judy became interested in gourd art and with the help of the internet in obtaining supplies, books and articles from varied sources, taught herself the basics of working with gourds.  She learned some of her basketry coiling techniques from Aleut and Eskimo women in Alaska.

Judy and her husband retired to Kerrville, Texas in the summer of 2002, where she has a studio and pursues her art a minimum of 30 hours a week.  Since moving to Kerrville she has expanded her repertoire of presentations and basketry.  Judy’s coiled basketry is unique in it’s presentation and includes pine needles, raffia, various grasses, plant fibers, philodendron sheaths and feathers.  Most of her baskets are sewn with either waxed linen or artificial sinew, but you’ll find a few sewn with grasses.

Discovering the use of gourds for sculptural figures has been a recent delight for Judy’s gourd art.  Most are Native American inspired.  Several have won major awards.

Since moving to Kerrville Judy has won numerous awards for her work.  Some of the awards are “Best of Show” at the 2004 Texas Gourd Society in Austin, Texas and “Judge’s Choice Award” and “People’s Choice Award” at the Arizona Gourd Society’s 2005 Competition, 2005 Best of Show Texas Gourd Society, 2006 Best of Show, Arizona Gourd Competition, 2006 Best of Show at the Southwest Fine Gourd Art Show at the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center in Kerrville, Texas along with 2^nd overall and a Special Award for the Best Southwestern Theme, 2007 Southwest Fine Art Gourd Show, 2^nd place overall and the 2007 Texas Award for 2^nd best of show at the Texas Gourd Society’s 2007 Lone Star Gourd Festival.

Alaska, Colorado, Texas, Nevada, New Mexico, Missouri, Florida, Utah, Hawaii, Arizona, Illinois and New York City are some of the locations of pleased owners.