Renee Hopson

This painting is part of a body of work that is an expression of how I see and experience native wildflowers and plants of Ohio. I spend hours outside hiking, painting, studying wildflowers, and gathering details about the plants that I love, to inform my studio work.

This work on paper starts with washes of watercolor, pencil markers, and textures from found objects. As I start each painting, I know what plant/flower will be represented, but the composition is unknown. I allow myself to create abstract compositions and react to the materials as they create patterns and texture. Once the underlayers have dried, I start sketching with acrylics, utilizing the textures and colors of the underlayers to help reveal the foliage. A process I call Finding Flowers.