Emma Hopkins Art
Research & Background
Research Overview
Below is detailed research on each artwork and the techniques/inspiration behind them.
Sunrise Over Rolling Hills (2025)
Research Focus: Capturing the subtleties of dawn light across undulating farmland. Studied works by Impressionist artists like Monet to understand how diffused light and soft brushstrokes evoke tranquility.
Technique & Materials: Used watercolor on cold-pressed paper, layering sheer washes of yellow and pale pink to simulate the earliest sunlight. Cross-hatching with fine pen lines added depth to the distant ridges.
Key Findings: Monet’s “Field of Poppies” series informed my palette choices and emphasis on ephemeral color. The research showed that capturing the “cold moment” before full sunrise requires cooler underpainting before adding warm glazes.
Misty Forest Vista (2024)
Research Focus: Investigating how early morning mist transforms a forest into a near-abstract composition. Referenced Chinese brush painting techniques to convey mist with minimalistic strokes.
Technique & Materials: Employed diluted ink washes over rice paper to create translucent layers. Followed up with pastel highlights to suggest sunlight filtering through the canopy.
Key Findings: Discovered that layering ink and pastel in alternating passes produces a believable haze effect. This method allows the viewer’s eye to “fill in” tree trunks emerging from fog rather than rendering every detail.
Coastal Evening Glow (2023)
Research Focus: Analyzing how coastal light changes after sunset. Studied photography works by coastal photographers like Joel Meyerowitz to capture the glowing horizon line.
Technique & Materials: Acrylic on canvas. Applied gradated washes from deep violet at the top to coral pink near the horizon. Incorporated a glazing medium to soften transitions between colors.
Key Findings: Meyerowitz’s use of long exposures influenced my decision to build layers slowly. The research emphasized waiting for the paint to partially dry between glazes to avoid muddiness.
Urban Landscape Contrast (2025)
Research Focus: Exploring the clash between natural forms and man-made structures. Researched Brutalist architecture photography to understand how stark geometry contrasts with organic shapes.
Technique & Materials: Mixed-media collage on wood panel. Combined torn photographic prints of concrete buildings with hand-painted trees and vines using gouache. Applied varnish for cohesion.
Key Findings: Collages by Kurt Schwitters demonstrated how layering found images can generate tension between abstraction and realism. The research guided the placement of architectural fragments so that the eye moves from rigid lines into organic curves.
Ethereal Gown Sketch (2025)
Research Focus: Investigating how fabric drapes can be translated into two-dimensional line work. Referenced fashion editorials from Vogue to observe how highlights and shadows define folds.
Technique & Materials: Fine‐point pen on tinted paper. Emphasized contour lines in softer areas, reserving heavy cross-hatching for deep folds. Added a light watercolor wash in the background to ground the figure.
Key Findings: Noted that fashion sketches by René Gruau use negative space effectively, letting the viewer’s imagination complete the silhouette. This guided me to leave some areas blank and focus on crisp, confident strokes.
Avant‐Garde Jacket (2024)
Research Focus: Documenting experimental garment shapes and their cultural significance. Studied runway photography by designers like Alexander McQueen to see how unconventional silhouettes challenge norms.
Technique & Materials: Digital photograph printed on canvas, overlaid with oil pastel accents. Highlighted seams and exaggerated lapels with metallic pastel to draw attention to asymmetry.
Key Findings: Found that McQueen’s early ’90s shows used contrast between soft fabrics and rigid corsetry. This informed my decision to juxtapose fluid pastel marks against a static printed background.