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S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 3 5 surrounded by 10,000-foot peaks in the northern Wasatch Range, Poppleton often follows the mountains northward to reach Yellowstone National Park a few hundred miles away. Every journey is a research trip that enables him to gather impressions for his paintings of grizzlies, mule deer, elk, and pronghorn antelope. Martin F. "Bubba" Wood of Dallas is the founder of Collector's Covey, one of the leading sporting art galleries in America. Wood features Poppleton's work in his miniature show every November. Wood believes that the greatest challenge facing talented young artists today is that they settle upon what works and then stop THE CROWD AT THE TOP challenging themselves and growing. "How many artists have we seen who get a taste of success and start to do the same painting over and over again until it looks like their creativity has started to die? Wood asks. "As an artist, if you're ever comfortable, you're stuck in the wrong place." Poppleton, he says, is obviously hungry. He refuses to be redundant. "He's still young but he's already got a distinctive style that's recognizable from across a room. I think he's got a great career in front of him because he seems to approach each new work as if he wants it to be the best that he's ever painted. What's more, he's willing to receive honest criticism and never settle on doing only what's easy." Richardson, like Wood, has bet on many young artists to succeed but only a select few pan out. "It's fun to see painters and sculptors living up to their potential," he says. "Chad is living up to his promise, and he's on track to one day assert his own place with the old legends that he admires. His paintings from month to month seem to improve and come together a little quicker. "There's a vibe of spontaneous energy to his paintings," Richardson adds. "A labored painting is usually filled with struggles that you can see. He is growing by leaps and bounds." W ith his trademark good humor, Poppleton describes his studio as "a controlled mess." Scattered throughout is reference material, art books, and correspondence. At any one time, he may have six paintings on easels in various stages of completion. "Interpreting the behavior and THE MYSTERY