Sky Hopinka_Margie Tabora 3.30

 Sky Hopinka Artist Talk

"If it makes sense to me, then that's good enough" - Sky Hopinka

We, as artists, will always encounter an audience that won't understand our work and will undermine our intentions. I think it's important to remember that our art is for ourselves and for others who can make the same conclusion as we can. 

"How do we negotiate these technologies and how do we make them a part of our daily lives in a way that is meaningful to the past, but at the same time relevant for the future?"- Sky Hopinka

Everyone uses technology in more ways than one. It's gotten to a point where technology is losing its purpose and turning into a corporate weapon of consumerism and capitalism. 

How does Sky Hopinka use his medium of choice? 

Hopinka's medium of choice is video, in which he primarily films in his homeplace of Portland, Oregon. During the making of " Mnemonics of  Shape and Reason", he filmed his scenes in the Columbia River Basin. His film style consists of filming in pieces and then placing them together, post-production, incorporating audio recordings, overlaying edits, adding text, and landscape.

What inspired him to use video?

Hopinka explains in his artist talk that he would always have a camera with him. He explicitly mentions he doesn't just use memory in his camera simply beacuse his has it. He would capture whatever takes his interest. 

What material/medium/process do you use and how? 

I begin my work by tapping into my emotions and how I've been feeling, whether long-term or short-term. This is the main focus of my art. Then I would find inspiration in my surroundings or on Pinterest. In a program called Clip Studio Paint, bouncing between that and Adobe Fresco. Using the different paints and colors provided, I would create an apathetic and raw artwork, or something more hopeful and ethereal. Realistically, it depends on my emotions. 

What inspired you to make your work that way?

I try to tap into my emotions and find ways to convey them through artworks rather than words. My surroundings and my past experiences, both pleasant and traumatic, have helped me advance my art style and what I would want to create at that time.