Be Still and Know: On Stillness, Hustle, and the Art of Making
A reflection on hustle, stillness, creativity, and the hummingbird painting Be Still and Know – a piece that changed when I finally gave it time.
Author: Denise Hopkins
Ready to Ride: On Memory, Making, and the Year of the Horse
A childhood Chinese restaurant, a rooster, the Year of the Horse, and a few unexpected horses scratched into a vase. Ready to Ride is a story about memory, making art, and the mysterious places new work comes from.
I Go Before You Always: The Words We Carry With Us
Some words stay with us for years, waiting for the moment we need them. The story behind I Go Before You Always begins with a Catholic hymn, a teenage memory, a Great Blue Heron—and the people whose words and ways we carry with us.
Paintings About Rest | The Story Behind the Rest Series
Four small paintings began with a single question from psychologist Nicola Jane Hobbs: Have I rested enough to do my most loving, meaningful work? This Studio Note explores how that idea reshaped both my creative process and the paintings that followed.
Dreams: On Motherhood, Grace, and the Lives We Never Planned.
What happens when life unfolds differently than we imagined? In this personal blog inspired by my painting “Dreams”, I reflect on motherhood, unexpected paths, and learning that grace often has a larger imagination than we do.
Can’t We Elope — A Contemporary Still Life Painting About Women, Art, and the Beauty of Ordinary Things
A contemporary oil on canvas bicycle painting inspired by freedom, motherhood, and faith, exploring memory, independence, and the symbolism of Psalm 17:8.
In the Shadow of Your Wings: A Contemporary Bicycle Painting About Freedom, Faith, and Motherhood
A contemporary oil on canvas bicycle painting inspired by freedom, motherhood, and faith, exploring memory, independence, and the symbolism of Psalm 17:8.
Day 31. Riding Into the Unknown: Finishing 31 in 31 With Courage and Hope
An expressive horse and rider painting closes out my 31 in 31 daily art practice—exploring hope, resistance, and the courage to create in uncertain times.
Day 30. High Horse, Good Grip: When Creativity Gives Us the Courage to Ride
On day 30 of my 31 in 31 practice, a horse I painted earlier in the month returned—this time built from leftover paint, negative space, and trust. What emerged was an abstract horse and rider painting about creativity, resilience, and staying mounted through uncertainty.