Today, we’d like to introduce you to Hopeton Hibbert.
Hi Hopeton, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My fine art journey started in 2018 when I was helping my daughter with a school art project. The spark of that creative energy led me to pull my camera back out and begin shooting again. Photography had been a hobby for over 20 years, but I had not publicly displayed any of my imagery.
Soon after diving back into my photography practice, I submitted to a Photographic Art Exhibition. My work was accepted and well received. After this exhibition, I dove deeper and began studying fine art photography more, looking to see where I could fit in this enormous landscape. I decided to focus on an unexplored technique of making my images archival without putting the prints behind glass.
This discovery led me down a path of photographic embellishment. At the same time, my sculpture practice began when I was on a walk with my sons, gathering old rail line materials. “I can do something with this….” I thought, and the ‘Ode to John Henry’ sculptures began.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a smooth road so far, as I’ve been groomed for this art world via my 20-plus-year culinary arts career. Many of the attributes I find necessary to make it in this art field I unknowingly strengthened while I was a Chef, so I fit right in.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an Atlanta-based intra-disciplinary contemporary artist who explores the abstract connections between humanity and nature across various media (photography, sculpture, mixed media). My work articulates the frenetic cycles of the human experience and attunes our senses to discover the world’s often unseen beauty by linking the physical and metaphysical worlds.
My focus is abstract photography and assemblage sculpture. I’m most known for my sculpture series ‘Ode to John Henry,’ where I use aged rail line materials as a metaphor for strength, durability, and the benefits of hard work. I am most proud of the prolific body of work I’ve created over the last five years, but most specifically, I’m proud of my unique technique for displaying photography.
My hyper-sharpening technique is a highly tedious method that takes many hours but yields an unattainable depth perception with a simple photographic print. My work ethic again sets me apart from others, referencing my culinary arts background. Having to create daily with materials with a shelf life of only days makes for production discipline that doesn’t wait for inspiration; it’s constant…
Speaking to the work, I believe my craftsmanship in making all my frames separates me from most, as my framing is more than just a display case for the work. The frames enhance and become one with the imagery, making a unique symbiotic experience and taking the art to another level.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was inspired by my mother’s creative energy. She was a multifaceted creative, from culinary arts to fine arts to jewelry. I was fortunate to grow up in a space of nature and freedom to roam and explore in NJ.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.stclairrenaissance.com
- Instagram: @stclair_renaissance
Image Credits
Alex Martinez
