Judith Lowry (artist)


Judith Lowry is a Native American artist. She works predominantly in acrylics on canvas.

Life

Her father is Leonard Lowry, a descendant of the Maidu and Pit River tribes. She has stated, "My paternal family heritage is Mountain Maidu with blood ties to the Paiute, Washo, Modoc, Pit River tribes." Her mother, June Shirley Harrison, is Australian. Her parents met during World War II when her father was stationed in her mother's native Sydney, Australia. He was one of the most decorated Native American soldiers. Judith had one brother; they were raised in Germany, Japan, Australia, as well as the US.
Initially Judith didn't attend college; she got married, raised children, and worked as a hairdresser. She also took photographs at weddings and community events. She settled in her father's hometown of Susanville, California. Eventually, in her thirties Judith did go back to school, and attended Humboldt State University.

Art career

Lowry won her first competition at the age of six for a drawing of a Hieronymus Bosch-ish World with strange vibrant creatures.
Lowry has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Humboldt State University and a Master of Fine Arts in painting and drawing from Chico State University. Lowry's work is influenced by Frank Day, Harry Fonseca, Fra Angelico, Giotto, and Sandro Botticelli. Her works frequently reference themes including consumerism, fashion, relationships, death, and the representation of Native American people in contemporary culture. Her work is influenced by early Renaissance painting and the tradition of native California story-telling. Lowry frequently works in oil and acrylics creating "larger-than-life" images that favour "allegorical sensibilit."
Lowry's studio is in Nevada City, California. Her work has been exhibited at the Crocker Art Museum, the Wheelwright Museum, the Carl M. Gorman Museum, the Heard Museum, and the George Gustav Heye Center. In 2012, she showed at the Pence Gallery. Her work is in the collections of the National Museum of the American Indian and Peabody Essex Museum.