Hobbies

Linda Hopwood
Oils/Watercolor/Acrylic/Pastels/Charcoal

Born and raised in San Francisco, I've been living in the Tri-Valley for 28 years. As a child, I have always been interested in creating art – drawing, embroidery, needlepoint. As an adult, my desire to paint was squelched for my competing love of engineering and design. After 25 years, I retired from my career in the mechanical engineering field. Now as an older adult, I have the opportunity to rekindle my first love – art.

Art has given me a new direction in life – a new community of friends and colleagues. I have found this to be mentally stimulating and socially gratifying, sharing my paintings and my outlook on life with others.

I have been pursuing art through formal education at LPC (A.A. in Painting) and by attending workshops and seminars. So far, I've had the opportunity to participate in local exhibits, as well as organize them, giving me more exposure to and involvement in the art community.

I am an artist who works with oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastels and charcoal. Most of my images are composed and painted in my studio, my largest art work being 36" x 48". My subject matter is usually a still-life. Some are painted as an abstract image. Others, like my watercolors, are painted in a realistic style. My paintings are usually created from my photographs and my nude images are created from live models. I try to adjust the composition of my subject to create intrigue. Many of my paintings have intense hues to draw attention to the image, while others try capturing the sense of nature with the beauty of the medium.

Several of my paintings are in private collections in California and Arizona. I have had solo exhibits and have been in group exhibits around the Tri-Valley and have been honored with several awards, including Best Watercolor at the 2010 Spring Art Festival sponsored by LAA/PAL.

It's been a challenge to merge both my loves – to paint images well and with imagination, and bring to them a hint of logic and ingenuity. I hope I continue this struggle for a long time.