Friday, September 7, 2007

A Sad Day

For those that haven't already heard, the well-known model horse artist Judy Renee Pope passed away last night. She leaves behind her lifelong partner, Paula O'Keefe.

Judy was one of the first artists I met in the model horse community. We were active members of what was then the Mini Model Horse Association, and it wasn't long before we struck a friendship. We shared a love of obscure Arabian horse bloodlines and weird horse colors, and I still have the lengthy letters (with side notes in Paula's tiny print) that Judy sent as we speculated on just what historic notations about "particolor" Arabians might have meant. Judy and Paula were the first window I had into a world where others might share what I thought of at the time as my "odd interests".

More than twenty years later, it seems impossible to me that she could be gone.

"Life is short, and there is never enough time for gladdening the hearts of those who travel this way with us. Oh, be swift to love! Make haste to be kind.” - Henri Frederic Amiel
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2 comments:

Hyn said...

I became aware of Judy's and Liz's work back in the late 70's, then got to meet them in person in the mid 80's. Both of them have been so much fun to be around on those all too brief occations we met. I don't know Paula as well.

Judy will certainly be missed here. I am very pleased to have recently gotten an Endemondia mini she sculpted, that I had glazed years ago, back in a trade. The only other Ende I custom glazed was a buckskin appy that Judy herself owned. Very few folk know Judy sculpted that bucking mini for Break A Leg Live back in 2003.

Paige Easley Patty
Hanblechia Studio

September 14, 2007 at 12:55 PM
Lesli Kathman said...

I got to do one of those, too. Mine was a dapple grey with a dark mane and tail. I don't know if Shay auctioned it, or what became of it though.

She was so very talented. It really is a loss to have lost her so young. :^(

September 14, 2007 at 1:27 PM

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