Book Description

"I fixed my mind on the power of love, to the extent of painting it." *** When war veteran Stan Hopewell's beloved wife Joyce became seriously ill, he turned to art. Though he had never painted in his life, art became Hopewell's means of expressing his love for Joyce, conveying his belief in the power of God, dealing with hardship, and celebrating the life that he and Joyce had shared. Presented here by author Ted Snell, this is the powerful and life-affirming story of Stan Hopewell, a man compelled to paint not by his passion for art, but by an inherent creative spirit. The urge toward creative expression was so surprising and the results so remarkable that Hopewell assumed his 'talent' came from God. This spiritual relationship guided him through the hardships and challenges of life, and led to using his extraordinary capacity to give potent visual form to all manner of events and emotions. His life story acts as a parallel text to his artwork, illustrating and informing each complex painting. Stan Hopewell is a man both ordinary and extraordinary, and his story extends the readership beyond an artistic one. The book moves from the story of one man to the creative journeys of self-taught artists and their ineffable drive to create. It documents that brief moment of creative focus and energy that turns ordinary people into artists.