[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] The Art of Patience My son’s school is learning a new word. When I chaperoned a field trip a couple of weeks ago, I saw it accompanied by a simple, straightforward definition on posters as I walked the halls to his classroom. Later that […]
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] I’m not sure I’m the best person to write about how to eliminate distractions, but I have been working on it. One of my mom’s favorite stories about my childhood is this: She’d send me upstairs to my room for some purpose, and I’d […]
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] I heard this story of a famous guitarist recently. When interviewed and asked what he liked to play “for fun” he replied, exasperated, “Fun? This is work!” Painting has felt a lot like work lately, but last week I had the opportunity to spend […]
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] “Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.” –Shakespeare It’s been three weeks now, but I’m still thinking about my January 31 paintings in 31 days mostly because I miss the unique magic of the ritual– the power to slow down time. When I […]
Originally published February 12, 2018. This post is part of my archive of writing about painting and the creative life. My boyfriend practices guitar the way I imagine monks pray– devotedly, routinely, sometimes with vigor and sometimes with less mindful purpose, letting the years of training move his fingers to their predestined places. He […]
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] I think I figured out the secret to daily painting. But you’ll have to stick with me for a moment first. Above you’ll see most of my 31 paintings from the January daily painting challenge (I couldn’t find a layout that would fit them […]
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] “Looking back/Looking ahead” 4×4, oil on canvas “You might be scared to start. That’s natural. There’s this very real thing that runs rampant in educated people. It’s called “impostor syndrome.” The clinical definition is a “psychological phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize […]
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] “Waiting for Spring” 6×6, oil on canvas [creativ_button url=”https://denisehopkinsfineart.com/product/waiting-spring-6×6-oil-canvas/” icon=”” label=”Buy Now” colour=”blue” colour_custom=”” size=”medium” edge=”straight” target=”_self”] Yesterday as I was scrolling through my facebook feed, I came across a link to a post on a blog created by an artist who had been a […]
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] “Song I Can’t Unlearn” 6×6, oil on canvas. What if you could look at a song, hold it up to the light and see what shapes form? Take in the whole thing all at once and not moment by moment, note by note? […]
