EMOTIONAL REALISM:
She is inspired by nature.  When creating creatures of fur, feathers, and fins, she loves the challenge of bringing life to each starting with the eyes. Once she has captured the essence/soul of the creature, she moves on to the rest of the piece. Hoffman's training in the art of Chinese brush shows up in her landscapes, especially in her newer painted gourds.

No matter what medium she's working in, her process involves the ‘magic’ of lines that define shapes and details. This is especially apparent in Hoffman's pen & ink drawings and pyrographic (wood-burned) works as she constructs the three-dimensionality that is a defining characteristic of her artistry. 

Those of you who have been to her studio are familiar with her detailed pyrography work. Though there are still a number of pieces on her walls, there will be no more wood-burning work added to them. She's chosen to stop burning to protect her lungs, only wearing her respirator when she's cutting, drilling and sanding the gourds she's been creating since April 2020.

Hoffman's painted gourds are unique, quite different from other gourd artists. And she works the same way she did with her pyrography, Chinese brush painting, pen & ink drawings, etc: she does not pre-sketch the images. In fact, she talks about having been an art student at NYU, creating her required thumbnail sketches only after finishing a piece. 






EMOTIONAL REALISM:

As a diehard optimist, I believe that when one door closes another opens. I chose to stop burning for reasons I will share when you visit my studio. With that change came a new approach; painting on gourds. Some are painted only, some I've cut, drilled, and otherwise shaped, creating a painted sculpture.

Also available here at my studio are newly created 5" x 7" birch paintings on textured paper, notecards made from my pen & ink drawings from the 1990s, what is left of my Chinese brush paintings created over a 20+ year period.

I have to create, it's in my DNA so to speak.