Information about the Artist Hoppo

BIOGRAPHY. Charlie Hoppo (aka Charlie Hopkinson) is largely self taught. One well known London art school tried to rectify this but failed comprehensively. However, his ‘apprenticeship’ behind the counter of Papers and Paints in Chelsea, London, taught him something about colour, colour theory, and paint practice - invaluable knowledge which is still relied upon every day in the studio. Hoppo lives in Wales.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT - PAINTING

Hoppo makes abstract and semi abstract paintings which sometimes include text.

Paintings are frequently produced in a square format, influenced perhaps by the film camera he used during his earlier career as a photographer. The square shape compliments the way Hoppo composes his pictures; he keeps this simple, using few tools, just paint, graphite, charcoal, thinner and brushes married to a tightly limited palette of oils, acrylics pencil and charcoal.

Hoppo’s paintings are created from forms, lines and colours which work together to make the whole. Shape, proportion, balance and scale coalesce to create critical visual tension to the picture. Inspiration used to come from a host of different sources and other artists. The painters Richard Diebenkorn and Keith Vaughan were significant early on. But now he says, “…I try to avoid external influences. Instead I look inwards; something floats to the surface and that’s what I paint. It’s like recreating dreams - details fade, and anything can and does rise to the conscious at any given time.”

He doesn’t chase after understanding. If he’s happy with the result, then that satisfies his criteria, and his thought process won’t extend further. He says “…I don’t want to unravel what the sub-conscious offers me, I just accept that dynamic.” He argues that he wouldn’t strive to understand the music of Beethoven or Lucy Rie’s pots.. “…I treat my pictures the same way. What’s important is that the picture resonates with the viewer - not every time, but sometimes. I can’t ask for more.’

Hoppo dislikes being pigeon-holed - beyond being a painter; though he admits to some of his pictures being quite minimal.

As far as techniques go, he often incorporates text and numerals in the picture - invariably partially obscured or as he calls it, redacted or censored. He thins his paints, reducing them, abstracting what he’s just put down. It’s the antithesis of impasto technique. He describes the process: ‘…it’s like assembling a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces can change shape and colour at will, and there’s no lid of a box showing the final picture on it to work from. It’s pure visual creation and rarely at a conscious level; and it invariably becomes an act of turning chaos into order.’ He then likes to quote Richard Diebenkorn: ‘chaos should be regarded as extremely good news’. Having created a picture, he then sets about reducing it to its elements - subtracting what’s gone before. Often he ends up at a blank canvas again, and has to start over. This uses up a lot of paint and a lot of time, though he knows no other way.