Bio

JA Ritter (Judy Ritter)

JA is a native of Louisiana. She was born and raised in Houma. Her interests lie in the visual arts, preferring mixed media of acrylics and oils, and in poetry. She is the author of the Graced Women series by Resource Publications. JA is an impressionistic painter, influenced by the French impressionists and her many trips to France and Italy. JA keeps close contacts with her many relatives who live in Houma and in the surrounding area. She has also been touched by the Cajun culture of her ancestors, having taught French and maintaining a keen interest in genealogy and history throughout her life.
JA is a graduate of Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. She has studied art from North Carolina artist Cheryl Keefer (disciple of Richard Schmid, renowned artist), Wayne Spradley, well-known Southern artist, Leslie Hutto, internationally known sculptor, Betty Stephens and Bettye Howell, art instructors, as well as accomplished artists Craig Reynolds and Gina Brown.
JA is represented by three galleries:  Atchison Gallery in Mountain Brook, Alabama;  Nunnally's Gallery in Anniston, Alabama; and Gallery of Eden in Pell City, Alabama.  Her work also hangs in several restaurants. JA has won numerous awards, both for her writing and for her art.
JA draws upon old family photos for her paintings, particularly those in her godmother’s book They Came, They Stayed. She sees the oak tree as a focal point in Cajun culture where people gather for dinners, weddings, seafood feasts, or just “passin’ a good time.” While painting, she is reminded of vivid childhood occasions to be with aunts and uncles and cousins in the bayou regions of South Louisiana. Her paintings, although dominated by the somewhat sinister large dark oak, are filled with a filtering light, symbolizing hope for the Cajun people.
Her painting, “Evangeline Waiting,” is a particular favorite of JA. She depicts Evangeline under the oak with a bouquet of flowers—either to place on a grave or for her wedding. The viewer sees a man (Gabriel?) coming down the road towards her. The interpretation is left up to you…
The swirling sky is symbolic of a changing people. Cajuns are no longer “captured” in the closed culture of their past, but are now open to the world and its many opportunities.
JA especially likes to experiment in unusual color combinations in her landscapes. She has won various awards with her poetry, short stories, and artwork. JA is married and the grandmother of four.

“JA Ritter—published author and artist—paints with the freshness of the French countryside. Her work is impressionistic with a southern twist. You can feel her energy and love of painting…”
John Miller, Art Critic
Miller Gallery

Solo Exhibit
Southdown Plantation Museum
Houma, Louisiana
"Acadian Nightwalk"
August 16, 2009 - October 15, 2009