Author: Denise Hopkins

Making Art in a Chaotic World

In college, my art professor once defined art as organized chaos. I’ve thought about that definition for years. I think about it when I look at the river landscapes around me or the light shining on my son’s hair when we are getting a post-school snowball: how would I organize these colors and shapes on […]

What to Look at Instead of the Sun

[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”] “Still — in a way — nobody sees a flower — really — it is so small — we haven’t time — and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.. So I said to myself — I’ll paint what I […]

It’s Coming and I Can’t Stop it.

I still, regrettably, haven’t yet seen summer blockbuster, Wonder Woman, but the first day of my son’s kindergarten last week certainly make me feel like a version of her. By 10:00 am I had shipped paintings, run a 5k in the brutal heat, answered all my emails, deposited checks, and sketched out ideas for future […]

The Curse of Parenting No One Tells You About

[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”] School is in session. Well, not exactly. I’ve got a meet the teacher Wednesday and the first day of kindergarten is officially Friday. I have spent the last two months at the snowball stand, zoo, swimming pool, beach, theme park, often lamenting my freedom. […]

This Time It’s Personal

[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”] My 2017 new year’s resolution was to be consistent with this blog. Specifically, to blog every Monday whether I liked it or not. It only took me until June to stop missing Mondays, and since then I feel like all my posts could be […]

Getting a Little Lost on the Way Forward

[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”] A couple weeks ago my teacher friend and all-around super-human posted to Facebook this image of a page from a children’s book she had been reading to her daughter. Her post then explained: I love keeping up with my students on social media because […]

You Might Not Like This One…

[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 need to come clean. There’s this place I don’t particularly care for, and judging by many of your social media posts, a lot of you apparently do. Can we agree to just disagree? I’m not a fan of Disney. Which is why it’s […]

A Lesson from the Hummingbird: Open Doors and Closed Minds

[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”] One summer I was visiting my parents and as I walked through their garage to get to the side door, I heard a little bumping sound. Even though both garage doors were fully open, a hummingbird had gotten trapped and was banging its head against […]

But You Love What You Do: The War of Art

I recently had the pleasure of attending a classical guitar concert after which a few musicians chatted about their art: did playing guitar ever feel like work? The consensus was a resounding yes. One guitarists suggested that he is happiest on a beach somewhere, miles and miles away from his instrument. I get that. We […]