Joel Popadics received a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Since then, he has been represented by some of the finest galleries in the Northeast. He currently resides in Wayne, NJ, with his wife Patricia and their two sons.
Popadics has worked with watercolors and has worked to promoted this medium to the art world. His work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums across the United States such as the National Academy of Art and Design in New York, the Place St. Charles Gallery in New Orleans and the San Francisco Academy of Art in San Francisco. In addition, Popadics exhibits his watercolors annually in the “International Marine Art Exhibition” at the Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport, Mystic, Connecticut.
Popadics has exhibited his work in both private and public collections. Some notable institutions that have shown his work are the Art for Healing Program at the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, NJ; the Hamilton House Museum in Clifton, NJ; The Ridgewood Art Institute Permanent Collection and the United Methodist Church in Ridgewood, NJ. He has also used his artwork to raise money for charitable organizations such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Table-to-Table Food Bank Network, and the LAM Foundation.
Mr. Popadics has received 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 (NJWCS). These are examples of the numerous awards he has been the recipient of. He has been featured many times in AMERICAN ARTIST, THE ARTIST’S MAGAZINE, WATERCOLOR ARTIST, and WATERCOLOR MAGIC MAGAZINES.
Ever since he committed his career to the watercolor medium, Popadics has worked to promote this medium. As a way to do this, Popadics became the Vice President/Treasurer of the prestigious American Watercolor Society in New York City and was a Past-President of the New Jersey Watercolor Society. In addition, Popadics has served on the board of the Ridgewood Art Institute in Ridgewood, NJ, which is where he currently teaches watercolor and drawing to adults and children. He also leads outdoor painting workshops in both the United States and Europe.
Popadics has been an Artist-in-Residence at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, Vermont, and continues to teach an annual summer workshop with the Shelburne Craft School. He has been a lecturer at Parsons School of Design and at The King’s College in NYC.
Artist Statement
“My formal art training was in oil painting, and while I appreciate all that I learned about oils, I love the look and essence of watercolor. When I work with watercolor, I am reminded how unpredictable life is and to always expect the unexpected. I like the feel of a handmade sheet of paper; the cotton fiber surface is slightly irregular, and it is surprisingly heavy. Before I start a picture, I know a small spot somewhere on it will be left untouched, unpainted and reserved for my highest value. When I look at a blank sheet, I often ponder where that preserved white will occur.
Many special moments in my life have involved the outdoors, and I’ve spent countless hours in front of my easel witnessing nature’s temperamental moods. Observing rapidly shifting shadow patterns and changing skies evokes so many feelings within me, including a desire to capture what I see in paint. My pictures are first and foremost about light; whether it is the reddish glow of a morning sunrise, the bright, golden sunshine of an afternoon; or the subtle cool blue radiance of an overcast day. When people view my work, I’d like them to have an emotional reaction. I want them to say, “I’ve seen that sky before, or I can feel the chill in the winter air.”
I am a self-confessed follower of fog. I love to paint haze, mist, and all sorts of atmospheric effects. Many landscape painters load detail into their art, thinking that somehow it will make their paintings more realistic. For me, less is more, and nothing obscures detail better than fog. It is very satisfying for me to get the feeling of air into a picture with an economy of brushstroke.”
– Joel Popadics