Coffee @ 10 with Julie Stoppel

The feeling of a day spent in a special place, a moment or an afternoon, this is what want from my work. My process starts with a place. The place is most often where I have spent some time, not just  “oh, this is a nice place, I think I will paint it." It may be a place I go by every day and to which I feel emotionally attached, or it may be a place where I camped or sailed, or hiked. Often it is a place on our 160 acres. I am especially fond of paths or places where you peek through or gaze out and beyond. Somehow these places feel secret or hidden away and there is something to discover. Most of my work is done on-site, but I also work from photos. Much of my work is done on black paper or sanded paper and chalkboards. I also work on sidewalks and bike paths. I often start with a limited palette of primary colors to set up my lights and shadows, then start introducing other colors.