This is one of my entries to The Society of Animal Artists 2017 Annual Exhibition. Wouldn't it be wonderful for it to be accepted? Don't count on it. One never knows what the judges will choose. Did they eat breakfast, do they like cats, do they already have 100 cat submissions? It's best to keep an open mind and and a well armored ego. This is what artists must do to gain recognition. Wish me luck!
Stripes Hooligan, 13x16" colored pencil, artist reference ©Margi Hopkins 2014
Photographer Rob Coomer and I are participating in a two person exhibit called THE MINI AND THE MIGHTY opening the day after Thanksgiving 11/25/16 at Row House Gallery, 211 Main St. Milford Ohio, 45150, rowhousegallery.com. Rob covers the MIGHTY aspect with his monochromatic photos on distressed steel -some of them over 60" long. He is well known for cave photography as well as just about any subject that strikes his fancy, from airplanes to dilapidated buildings- real "guy" stuff and well worth the trip out to see his work! Mean while, I cover the MINI with over twenty miniatures of varying snap shot subjects of farm and landscapes, animals and etc. from the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico to Ohio. Each piece is beautifully and individually framed using museum glass to show off every mark. There's plenty of contrasts and variety in this show. I'm so excited to see what your reactions will be!
The Buzzards of Shor Park, approximately 16 x 4", Colored Pencil on Linen.
I'm launching my new Pepper Portraits website. Tell me what you think. If you miss seeing something that lived on my old site, let me know. Meanwhile, I'm starting a series of miniature paintings measuring approximately 3x5". This allows me to both explore ideas quickly while creating affordable gems for my clients.
8x9" graphite and colored pencils on Fabiano Artistico smooth paper. The photo reference is mine. This was drawn while caring for my sick Mom in Florida. The photo and layout were started and abandoned some months ago, so when I packed up my stuff, I decided to bring the project along. Good thing because it was a much needed break from a deplorable situation. The image depicts my Diva cat Charlotte peeking behind a tree. The full color red leaf was added for fun. This drawing is available for $385.00. If interested in purchasing, go to SHOP, which will send you over to my ETSY site.
This is Charlotte in all her moods. Graphite on BFK Rives 140#. The furry texture of the paper lends a diffused feeling to this piece. Charlotte Triptych was created last summer. Enjoy!
I recently started to teach Pet Portraits in Colored Pencil to the brave souls that also took my Pet Portraits in Graphite class. This is my sample. The photo reference is from a series taken
while working on a commission. The Border Collie Marley was particularly photogenic. This piece is 9x11"various light fast colored pencil with solvents on Rag Mat Board. I used many of my tricks on this.
Hannah, a 20 year old tuxedo cat, was my walking companion during a visit to Harpswell Maine a few summers ago. She and I strolled the shore early in the morning. I was amazed at both her agility to manage the rocks and her acuity for such a wizened cat. Returning from our exploration of the nearby cove, we passed beneath the bows of an ancient apple tree reputed to have a strong spirit residing within. It was a bit creepy and I felt compelled to give it a nod of respect as I snuck under the gnarled limbs. Hannah has passed on since that summer. I wonder if she has joined the spirit of this enduring apple tree. I wish my little friend well.
I drew this 22x 30" image with 4-6B graphite pencils on a sheet of beautiful BFK Rives 140# cotton paper. The furry surface adds to the diffused feeling of this drawing. This was a study with the intent to eventually to make a colored pencil painting. But I love this graphite so much, just the way it is. And it has been filed away for almost a year now, so I get to experience it objectively. I doubt a color rendition would improve the message. Mean time, it remains in cue for one day. Enjoy!
Stonelick Covered Bridge in Clermont County OH is an icon for many. Recently restored, it is a beauty! I spent hours trudging around the bridge, bushwhacking through the waist high scrub, scrambling from rock to rock in the creek-bed and shooting photos from every angle, at different times of the day, over a period of a month. The reference photo used for this piece was taken at 5:00 on a fall afternoon. The sun washed bridge vs. deep shadows cast by the trees as the sun descended, made it interesting as well as a challenge. My client is a covered bridge enthusiast, so every detail, down to the numbered sign, is meticulously rendered. The original measures 20x30" and was painted with various brands of lightfast colored pencils on rag matboard. Fine Art Giclees are available for sale. Contact me for details.
Here is Preston the Welsh Corgi, 12x14" colored pencil on linen, my reference photos. This was a custom portrait created for the best of clients who expressly encouraged me to paint whatever made me happy; thus the unusual angle and wet fur.
The client, myself and her two dogs, spent hours walking and photographing at two different locations, until I had many beautiful reference shots from which to choose. My art needs a story and Preston provided one when he unexpectedly followed his housemate, a Labrador Retriever, straight into the river. Corgis are all chest and no legs. Preston had never been beyond wading. He sank like a stone, then bobbed to the surface. The swimming technique, newly minted, added to the hilarity of Preston's alarmed expression, but he arrived safely to the water's edge soaking wet and disgruntled.
Awake early, the day after thanksgiving I have nothing better to do than enjoy my coffee and ruminate about art, inspiration, composition, good stuff like that:) I'm visiting family in Pensacola, which is a 12 hour car trip from Cincinnati, so the bulk of my art materials are in my studio at home. However, I managed to pack a sketch pad and pencils, just in case. This was meant to be a quick turnaround, but my Mom is elderly. A few more days here won't hurt. Anyway, it forces me to step out of my get-er-done routine at home and breath. Later I might walk down to 
the end of Mom's street with my sketchpad and sketch a pelican or shrimp boat. That is, if I feel like it.