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Judie Popplewell
The Art of the Horse
By Terri Mason
 Bubba and Buddy, Judie's Jack Russell terriers, are near hysteria at my entrance into "their" home. It's not my presence that inspired such emotion but rather the banishment of the squeak toys to an inaccessible height. Their frenetic activity is in stark contrast to the soothing tones of Judie's home, itself a reflection of the soft hues of an Alberta sky.
You know some of her paintings as well as you know the back of your hand. Popplewell is one of the few Alberta artists whose paintings have graced the UFA calendar multiple times.
"I guess it helps that I work there," Popplewell at first laughs, then reflects for a moment. "I have to think that if my work wasn't good enough they wouldn't choose it, and it's a great honour. I just think of it as a great way to share my work."
 Finding Popplewell's work can be a challenge. While her works have hung in juried shows as far flung as Kentucky and Georgia, her annual pilgrimage to the Calgary Stampede's Western Art Salon is her only personal appearance at a show. Popplewell has done the occasional commissioned piece, yet for now, her art is available only through her website.
The Pincher Creek native can't remember a time when she didn't draw horses, yet didn't take art classes until after she married Jim and moved to Penticton, B.C. Once they came back to Calgary, she pursued her passion and began taking lessons.
These days, the most influential artist in Popplewell's life is Michelle Grant.
 "I've been in her classes since 1996 and I don't foresee a time when I will ever stop going to that class - it's just so much fun." She credits Grant with teaching her to "really see the details" - a skill that has transcribed to her canvas.
"I had a long-time client come into my booth at Calgary," said Popplewell, "and he said, 'Oh, your work is changing. It's becoming softer.' Without even realizing it, he was telling me that I was more comfortable with the medium - was looser, and that's what I've been striving for. I want to become more painterly."
Her painting Harvest Time of Tom Wraight and his black Percherons on a binder is a prime example of both the study of the detail and the soft aura of her work. As well, she captured the "harvest haze" - the suspension of fine dust that hangs over the prairies in the fall.
"That's exactly what I wanted," Popplewell smiles, "so it's good that you picked up on that." I grin, and confide to her that while I don't know very much about art, I know a fair amount about threshing, and we share a laugh.
 Pioneer Acres at Irricana is a prime photo op for Popplewell, and is where we first met. "I love the draft horses," Popplewell smiles. "When I was a little girl, I used to go to my grandfather's farm and he was still using the horses to harvest. When they tied up for lunch, Grandpa would throw me up on one of the heavy horses and I would sit up there holding onto the hames. I was enthralled."
As the interview draws to a close she pauses, and then tells me she wants to say something specifically about the Calgary Stampede.
"The first time they took one of my paintings was in 1995, and I've been accepted in their art auction every year since. I can't say enough about them bolstering my ego and giving somebody who was just starting out a chance."
Popplewell leads me into her studio. "Painting is like breathing to me. I have to do it. I favour oils, as they don't set up as fast. I'll have two, three or four paintings going at one time and I can go between them at different stages."
For me, the walls are a memory walk. Paintings of old friends and their horses cover the walls. Lined out against one wall are paintings in progress, and I stop dead in my tracks.
"It's not finished yet," Popplewell explains, following my gaze. There in front of me is a painting of two white Percherons and two sorrel Belgians hitched to a cultivator - and I'm holding the lines...
You can purchase Judie Popplewell's original paintings on her website: www.telusplanet.net/public/jpsales.
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