As much as I enjoy flowers in their natural setting, or even in a vase, and despite my fondness for still life painting, I have to admit that florals are not among my favorite subjects for paintings. There are exceptions, of course, in which the subject is handled in unusual ways, but direct close-up paintings of flowers rarely appeal to me.
Despite that, Diane Hoeptner, an artist based in Ohio, managed to capture my attention with her floral still life paintings when I first came across her blog.
The appeal for me is not so much the subject itself, but her relaxed painterly approach, rich with casual but luxuriant brushstrokes defining both the flower forms and vessels in which she places her subjects. (Those, in fact are part of the appeal for me, in that I do particularly like still life subjects that include glass jars or vases filled with water.)
Together, the brush marks, paint handling, glassy reflections and often subdued color work to create a strong visual appeal.
Hoeptner (pronounced “hep-ner”) formerly lived in California, where she studied Studio Art at California State University, Northridge and worked for several years as a digital animator for video games and film.
Hoeptner’s floral paintings vary in size, most seem to be around 8×8″ (20×20cm), as in the case of the image above (with detail, larger version here), or 22×22″ (60×60cm), as you can see in photographs of her work in the studio or outdoors.
In addition to her blog, Hoeptner has a web site with galleries of her paintings, some of which are of other subjects like cats or small toys. She also has a presence on eBay where she sells much of the work shown on her blog.
Addendum: There is an interview with Hoeptner on Pat Washington’s blog.
[Via Mick McGinty (see my posts on Mick McGinty)]
Great article! Her flowers are beautiful!
wonderful post. I agree, as you so eloquently put it, her relaxed, painterly style is winning.
I completely agree with you, Charley. I really like the way she paints the vases and/or bottles filled with water. In fact, the painting that you chose to display here is one of my favorites, particularly because of the fantistic rendering of the murky water.
I coulcn’t agree more. I have one of her paintings and just love it–irises in a pottery-type vase. Gorgeous.
I’m a fan of Diane’s work. Your description of “casual but luxuriant brushstrokes” is perfect.
I know Diane through Facebook where all artists are so very supportive of each other. The charm of this painting lies in the economy of her brush-strokes and also the lightnessof the technique! It is as if the brush danced lightly over the canvas.
I know Diane’s work through blogging and totally agree that her work in general and brushwork specifically deserves praise!!
Google brought up your blog… very interesting.
Thank you for featuring Diane’s work. I love her style. So inspiring.
Sensational! What gorgeous glowing color inside the vase.