Artist Statement:
The Western Sprit has always been close to my heart. When I was a child, I pretended to ride stick horses, running up and down the hills, along the edges of sloughs and through the weeds and trees portraying the movies of Roy Rogers and many others. The Spirit of the West is so natural; a magnificent way of life, the people, the animals, and Mother Nature, all working together in harmony. Rodeo portrays the wild freedom of the animals and the powerful agility of the riders. Western Spirit at its best! That’s what I love, and that’s exactly what I strive to create in my paintings. My passion is Western Spirit.
Biography:
It all started back in the Calgary General Hospital on April 21, 1946, when Janette Louise Howden was born into the creative family of Bruce and Eileen Howden and 4 siblings, Ellen, Bert, George, and Aileen. In early childhood, Jan (known back then as Janette) was never far away from paper, pencils, crayons, and animals, including dogs, cats, chickens, cows, and horses. She even had Bantam Roosters as pets, which used to ride on her bicycle handlebars. Her brothers raised pigeons. This was all in the Howden back yard of southeast Calgary’s Ogden district; except for the horses, which she would ride from a local riding stable or relative’s farms. Jan would ride saddle or bareback, just as fast as the horses would go. Maybe that’s where the saying ‘No Fear’ came from. And, there was always the Calgary Stampede with the wild rides and chuck wagon races; excitement was always a part of Jan’s life.
Jan and husband, Lou Paul, met in Calgary back in the early 1970’s, where he performed as a singer/guitarist in Country Nightspots, six nights a week and worked for AGT (now Telus) five days a week. In 1978, they were engaged. They made Red Deer their home when they married on July 1, 1983. Jan received a Red Deer College Secretarial degree, which was followed by a twenty-two year career with CKGY Radio as a Script Writer and Sales Consultant, until she retired in 2002. Lou retired in 1992 from AGT after thirty-six years, when they bought their Sage Brush Hills quarter just off of Highway 11 East, half way between Red Deer and Stettler. They built one house, then subdivided and sold it. Then they built their present home, almost in the center of the ‘Sage Brush Hills’ quarter surrounded by trees, hills, wildlife, cattle, horses, and to the north of them, on the next quarter, three hundred head of Buffalo! It includes a 575 sq. ft. art studio for Jan, and a 615 sq. ft. workshop, where Lou makes any size of frame Jan needs for her original paintings.
Together for many years, they have followed the sport of rodeo, not just as spectators, but getting to know the sport from the inside out. They love Alberta’s major rodeos including Ponoka, Innisfail, Rocky, Sundre, Benalto, Red Deer, and the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton. That explains how Jan can transfer the rodeo excitement from her heart onto the canvas. But there’s more to it than just rodeo. 90% of Lou and Jan’s relatives and friends are tied to the country way of life through rodeo, ranching, farming, and of course, country music. Lou continues to entertain folks with his country music. He recently released two new CD’s. He performs in the Ponoka Stampede Sponsor BBQ tent, for seven days, up to and including July 1, which is Jan and Lou’s wedding anniversary. When Jan is not involved in the Ponoka Stampede Art Show, she is busy taking reference photos of the rodeo action for her paintings.
Every November, Jan displays her artworks at the Canadian Finals Rodeo/Farm Fair Art Gallery at Edmonton Northlands. Right after that, Lou, Jan, and their dog named “What” head out with their truck and fifth wheel trailer for Mazatlan, Mexico. There, Lou entertains at Roy’s Cerritos Restaurant Steak Nights and with Dick Damron and friends at the Purple Onion Restaurant. They both say winter is great in Mexico, but there’s nothing better than returning home to Alberta in the spring where there’s exciting rodeo action, great country music, and more ideas for Jan’s original paintings.
Jan Howden-Paul's CV
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Contact us for quotes or information:
Sage Brush Hills Studio, Jan Howden-Paul, Alberta, Canada, T0C 0Y0
Phone: 1-403-784-2071 OR
Jan Howden-Paul
**All works depicted on this website are copyright protected. Permission must be obtained from the artist for any use.**
About the Artist
