Meet Deedee Hampton | Artist: painter and mixed media

We had the good fortune of connecting with Deedee Hampton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Deedee, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
Lions & tigers & bears! Oh my! or in my case, pikas and octopi and jackalope! Oh my!!! I love and am intrigued by the animals i am surrounded by living in Estes Park on the border of Rocky Mountain National Park !!! In addition, i always search out animals on my travels including seeing beautiful octopuses (grammatically correct plural) while snorkeling in Honduras & roaming lions at a National Park in India and elephants in Angola, Africa. Magical animals like jackalope and unicorns and dragons also find a place in my heart.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
An animal “speaks” to me and i feel compelled to paint them. Each Spirit Animal painting is bold, colorful and fun. I want my paintings to bring joy to the viewer. In the background of each animal I paint mandalas which represent the “energy” of the animal. I believe that each of us has one or more animals that we feel connected to on a spiritual level, that we may call our totem or spirit animal. “Nature totems-especially animals-are symbols of specific kinds of energy we are manifesting and aligning with in our life.” Ted Andrews from the book “Animal-Speak”.

Painting fulfills me in a way that nothing else does- I get lost in time while painting. It is both play and work- the process for me is like ocean waves- as the wave begins to crest i am thinking: “I really like this, its going so well, the painting is flowing.” The wave crests & begins to crash over & I am thinking: “I’m not so sure about this, why did i do that?, i don’t like this painting!” and then there is a bit of calm before the build up of the wave again and i am thinking: “Hmmm i wonder what would happen if i do this? i see what i want to change. everything is going to be okay.” The lesson being stick with it. The biggest lesson though is you have to show up & do the work!

So far with this series, i have a “good” problem in that the originals sell fairly quickly so have begun creating giclees prints of my work on canvas so that more people can enjoy them.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would definitely go up into Rocky Mountain National Park and bring our watercolors and sketchbook. After a day of hiking and sketching we would go to Bird and Jims for delicious cocktails and dinner. The next day we would go for a more mellow walk around Lake Estes stopping at various vantage points for more sketching followed by dinner on m.y beautiful flower covered deck (in summer).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to recognize my boyfriend,Joe Arnold, of 20 years as being my greatest supporter- encouraging me when i am feeling insecure about my artistic endeavors and always being willing to do the “dirty” work- including building me a gorgeous Art Shed to store supplies and helping me hang my art work etc. I’d also like to recognize the amazing Bird and Jims Restaurant in Estes Park- home of seasonal delicious food- for giving me the opportunity to hang my work on one big wall where it is seen & bought by both locals & visitors from all over the country and world!! My family and friends have always been incredibly supportive both verbally & financially- i cant tell you how much that means to me!!

Website: deedeehamptonart.com

Instagram: d2hampton

Facebook: Deedee Hampton