Don't take it too seriously.  I'm just trying to recreate a U2 cover from Joshua Tree. -Hope Banks

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Hope Banks is a former teacher and business owner who lives on a small farm in rural Western North Carolina. Many of her pieces focus on life in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. Married to the love of her life and picture perfect partner, (as seen above) Kevin Banks. She is the mother of three amazing human beings and grandmother to 6 even more incredible little people.

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She is an avid nature lover who enjoys hiking, kayaking, riding her horse (when he isn't being stubborn) and gardening.  She has two German Shepherds who travel with her everywhere- Osa and Odin. Also, two other dogs that are homebodies- Chichi and Sylas. Two cats- Bailey and Zorro.  Two horses- Apache and Magnus and a miniature horse- Miss Joesphine Baker aka JoJo. And last but not least, her little green cheek conure- Floki. He is frequently seen painting with her or sitting on her shoulder while she does a piece offering constructive criticism.  

 Hope has been painting all her life and studied art at Oglethorpe University. She has a master's degree in fine arts from Brenau University and also a teaching degree. She taught history and literature for 14 years before committing to making her husband’s dream of woodworking as a career come to fruition. Check out his beautiful talents at bravocodoors.com. After 10 years, he now whole heartedly supports her art career. Teamwork is the dreamwork yall.

She also has an incredible passion for music, and it is an inspiration for most of her work. Her favorite artist are Claude Monet, Tony Scherman, and Betsy Eby.  She listens to a variety of music while painting including Tchaikovsky, The Deftones, TV on the Radio, Florence + The Machine, and Jimi Hendrix among many others. 

Most often her pieces are encaustic. She enjoys the fluid and movement of the medium as well as the luminosity and texture it provides.  For more information about encaustics, take a look at our  home page. She has recently began working with oils and mentoring under Dianne Mize, who is an amazing teacher and artist. Check out her work at Diannemizestudio.com. 

 

Thank you so much for visiting our site and learning more about Hope , her work, and encaustics. If you ever have any questions please feel free to reach out and enjoy the journey!