Miss Judy - About the Artist Kerrie Gottliebsen

About the Artist..

At primary school, Kerrie Gottliebsen owned a typewriter, dreamt about being a tattoo artist and charged friends 20 cents to draw on their arms pictures of Kiss singer Paul Stanley. She continued to paint and draw throughout her life, however things changed when at 32 she became pregnant with a baby she was told was medically impossble. Her pregnancy meant staying up nights, arms pulsating with carpel tunnel syndrome and chronic exposure to hours of infotainment tv. Even worse, gestational diabetes meant daily consumption of family blocks were a no-no, and the fags and shiraz were definitely off the menu.

It occured to Kerrie after watching so many Ads that they were mostly riddled with negative messages about body size, skin type, wrinkles, age and hair removal. It was this combined with a snowballing case of post natal depression and the isolation and anxiety experienced as a new mother, which gave birth to Judy (that, and not wanting to clean paint brushes).

"I believe everyone has an
inner Judy, even blokes"
Kerrie Gottliebsen
Creator of Miss Judy

Nearly eight years after the birth of her son and one daughter later, Kerrie has exhibited 15 limited edition Judy prints at Pludo Cafe in Williamstown as part of Hobson's Bay Suburban Art project. 'Judy and the Scales' was enlarged and displayed on an Auction board outside the Seabrook Community Centre. Judy has been published in the Royal Women's Hospital 'Instinct' newsletter and over a hundred cards and prints have been sold. Kerrie says ;

“Despite now being a single parent, I have gratefully recovered from depression with the help of family, friends, medication, meditation and the odd merlot. Stillness meditation therapy is still important to me. Go and read Calming your anxious mind by Dr. Jeffrey Brantley, MD, it helped me enormously. Depression is an illness not a weakness and recovery is possible."

Judy is an ironic, cheeky and kitsch series of pop art images which invite you to discover your inner Judy. The cards are designed and printed in Melbourne with ten percent of profits going to Beyond Blue, the organisation dedicated to helping people with depression and anxiety.

Where is Miss Judy....?