| Artist Bio: As one newspaper recently wrote about her, “the connection between a prairie daughter and an Alaskan artist must be working.” Judi’s interest in wildlife grew out of her childhood in Nebraska, and later, Minnesota, where fishing and hunting for wild game was an interest shared with her father, brother, and later her husband. Eventually, in 1974, the Rideout family moved to Palmer, Alaska where she found pastel painting added a new challenge and extended her interest and awareness of wildlife. She feels at home in the woods, and her deep respect for the animals she portrays is reflected in her work.
As a wildlife artist, Judi defines realism as careful attention to, and study of detail—hair growing in the right direction, reflecting both sheen and softness—the eyes of a wild animal show a momentary restful contention while at the same time remaining alert. For Judi, all must be carefully noted and portrayed. Until recently, her subjects have all been Alaskan wildlife: sheep, lynx; the Alaskan state bird, Ptarmigan; moose, caribou, rabbit, swan and wolf. Her devotion to the subjects she depicts eliminates the need for detailed backgrounds. The viewer is given a sense of the habitat while the animals themselves are stated in meticulous detail and command full attention. Judi is, after all, an animal portrait artist, and she regards the comparison of her work to photography as that of the highest compliments. But, beyond a perfectly clear image, Judi captures the nature of each animal’s gentle nobility.
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