About the Artist

This is an Amazing time to be an artist and, in my case, a painter.

I use pigments, brushes and papers from all over the world: France, Italy, Great Britain, Holland, Germany, Ukraine, Belgium, Japan, China, South America, Canada, Viet Nam, India, Micronesia, Russia, Uzbekistan and several states here in the USA, (including Hawaii).  I regularly chat or communicate with artists in many mediums from most of the countries above and a few others.  And -amazingly - None of this seems out of the ordinary at this time and place.

Brief background: I’ve been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember.  With a less than ideal childhood, drawing was my “drug” of choice.  I could disappear for hours and have something to show for it at the end.  In 1996 I graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in painting, with honors.  I’ve always had art related work; commissions, design work, illustrations, architectural renderings and spent 25+ years in the scenic industry out of New York.  We moved to Maui in 2012 after my husband died unexpectedly, where I continue my work as a full-time independent artist.  

I’ve also fairly recently produced a book (available on my website, JoanneHopper.com), called “Joanne Hopper Studio…So Far: Paintings”.  This book (and more in the works) has been an amazing exercise; a personal retrospective of what I’ve created…so far.    It is for myself, my children, my collectors and anyone else interested in this artist’s journey.  It’s been a great learning experience – both about the actual process of putting a book together and the reflections and reminiscences of the works included.

Many of my paintings have been created from life; plein air or studio set up.  I Love the reciprocity between surface and subject that results from drawing and painting on location.  Some pieces take 2-4 returns to a site to complete, and some are finished in studio.  Other pieces are entirely studio work, using plein air sketches and photo references.  Generally, metalpoint drawings are done in studio.

Watercolor, gouache and metalpoint are my favorite mediums.  Sometimes I combine one or more techniques.  It’s often the subject that tells me what medium it needs to be represented with.  My diversity of subjects mirrors my interests.  It’s my conviction that the energy that we put out into the world can affect us all, not only through the visual and words but by our collective unconscious.  So, my work is about joy, light, color, experimentation and exploration and hopeful positivity to bring the same to others – to offset the absurd negativity around us, to point out the magic in life that’s available to everyone.  

Having a Down Syndrome daughter keeps me involved with the special needs community on Maui.  I use my art to support her and her ohana in any way I can by designing logos, painting signs, donating materials and time etc.  She and her peers have given me more than I could ever possibly put in words or be able to give back to them in this lifetime. 

I can be found on my website; JoanneHopperStudio.com.  Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest are also @JoanneHopperStudio.

Thank you for taking the time!

So much love and Aloha to all -

Enjoy.  Be inspired.  Carpe your Diem.

Joanne