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 Hopwood
returned to Pennsylvania where she worked at a radio station for 14 years.
In
1990, after leaving her position at the radio station, she opened cafe
georgio
with
her partner, George Ward. She currently resides in Venetia, Pennsylvania
with
George
and her children, Si and Hilary. She put her dream of pursuing art on
hold
in
order to make her restaurant a success and to develop a loyal clientele.
Semi-retirement
from the cafe in 2002 has allowed Hopwood to pursue her dream.
She
is self-taught and uses the visual memories of her life on the farm, work
in
her
gardens, experiences in the Southwest, and her 11 years at the cafe as
inspiration
for the subjects of her paintings. Frequent photographic journeys
to
New Mexico and the western Pennsylvania countryside keep her creativity
flowing.
As Hopwood points out, "There's
so much I want to paint. I see everyday
things
so differently now--the light, lines, and shadows--I hope I have enough
time
to
paint it all. One of the best things is that my kids and George hang out
with
me
in my studio while I'm working. They can be brutally honest, but I've
learned
a great
deal from them because I'm no judge of my own work. I consider myself
a 'work
in progress', and there is no end in sight."
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