ArtistsNetwork.com 27Meet the Artist
Joel Popadics (watercolorpop.com) was born in
New Jersey and studied illustration at the School
of Visual Arts, in New York. He subsequently
worked for three years as an assistant to the
renowned illustrator James McMullan. After
working as an illustrator for some years, Popadics
ventured into fi ne art. His work has been shown in
museums, galleries and group exhibitions across
the U.S., and his paintings are represented in many
public and private collections. He’s the recipient of
numerous national awards, including the Edgar A.
Whitney Memorial Award from the Hudson Valley
Art Association; the Grumbacher Gold Medal from
the California Watercolor Association; and the
Silver Medal of Honor (twice) from the New Jersey
Watercolor Society. He currently serves as vice president of the American
Watercolor Society and is a past president of the New Jersey Watercolor
Society. An avid teacher, the artist leads workshops across the country and
teaches a weekly class at the Ridgewood Art Institute, in Ridgewood, N.J.is to pursue and capture beauty in
our work,” he says. “Collectors and
art appreciators have told me how
peaceful my paintings make them
feel, and I take that as the greatest
compliment. I want viewers to have
an emotional reaction to my work.
I want them to feel as though they’ve
experienced a similar eff ect or to
recall a particular moment in time.”
In Popadics’ paintings, the artist
and viewer combine forces to share
powerful and positive feelings about
times, places and the joys of being in
the world. WA
John A. Parks is a painter, a writer and
a member of the faculty of the School
of Visual Arts in New York.
KATE FAUST