SUE HOPKINS


I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. I conduct research and teach medical students. I first started painting in oils when I was 9, but I discovered Watercolor 11 years ago. I’m excited about the possibilities of watercolor, particularly the bright vibrant color the media allows.

Since I paint predominantly at night, after work, I am only rarely able to paint from "real life". I work almost exclusively from one or more color photographs which I take myself. I try to compose the finished work as much as I can within the photograph, although often a finished piece will be a composite of several images. I do a very detailed drawing on sketch paper, which I transfer onto my watercolor paper using a light table. I feel very strongly that the drawing is the most important part of my painting, and I do not project slides and trace them to facilitate this process.

I paint representational watercolors, and prefer to paint as large as possible, up to 25" by 40", which often turns into a workout! I am interested in human relationships and portraiture. My medical training has given me a very strong foundation both in anatomy and the observation of human behavior, which I feel assists me with these paintings. These portraits explore common human emotions. I love catching little kids “in the act” of just being kids, such as seen in the images “David and Allison”.

I also paint striking visual images chosen largely because of color and form without first thinking about any overt emotional content. These are often still life paintings of unusual objects, such as “Dead Fish”. During a trip to Australia, I went on a fishing charter and caught a lot of beautiful iridescent fish called Trevalley, which the men running the charter, killed, gutted and placed in large buckets. The image of these fish floating in bloody water, in a bright red bucket, was so visually striking that I knew I had to paint it.

Recently, I’ve been experimenting with watercolor monoprints. Using the drawing as a guide I paint directly on plexiglass using the watercolor paints. These images are hand transferred into watercolor paper using a rolling pin. The paint transfers in unusual ways and the colors bright, vibrant and fun.

I exhibit my work regularly in juried shows including the San Diego Watercolor Society’s Award and International Shows, and the Del Mar Fair. In November 2003, I was part of a 2 woman show at Mira Costa College.

Dead Fish

Fresh Water Bay