Ashlee Hopkins

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Australia
Prospect, SA
Ashlee Hopkins

Potter. Coffee lover. Traveller. Open by appointment only.

02/09/2026

While everyone shares their successful Heysen entries I’m here to share my rejected artwork and artist statement 💫😂

Big Cat Country, 2026
Acrylic and soft pastel on canvas
122 x 61cm

When I paint I am translating a complex sense of place that I have created inside my own imagination where dreams and memories with similar emotional experiences have become tied to one another. Layers of acrylic paint and soft pastels provide a vehicle for me to express this sense of place, creating a new fictional landscape.

Like the moment between sleep and reality, bright flashes of colour emerge from a murky palette on my canvas. As the painting progresses, intuitive and child-like marks dance their way across the composition. Occasionally these marks become recognisable shapes - mountains, stars, rivers, and even cats. These marks continue my ongoing exploration of repetitive processes for emotional regulation and sensory processing.

Big Cat Country is a moody place filled with cheeky cats; a sprawling landscape capturing a sense of place from within me while providing a subtle commentary on Australia’s feral cat problem.

📸 by Leah Menner | Adelaide Photographer

01/09/2026

Often the world feels like it’s too loud - it’s too fast, too much.

It’s like everything is happening around me and no matter how hard I try I can’t catch up. And the harder I try to catch up the further it all feels from my reach. It just gets louder and harder and faster. But when I’m making it’s as if I’ve been transported elsewhere … somewhere quiet and slow.

After many months of minimal making I’ve finally returned to my studio with a compulsion-like desire to paint. And while the canvases multiply around me a collection of new work seems to be forming ….

22/08/2026

My first painting - complete.

Earlier in the year on my way home from my worst market experience in 10 years I longed to make something different - something that wasn’t tied to all the hard work I’d poured in and the value that I’d placed on my time. I wanted to play and explore without feeling weighed down by my own relationship to the medium.

And so I started painting. I’ve lost count of how many times I started the first few canvases over. There must be a ridiculous number of layers hiding under the finished work. It’s a process that I find myself lost in - attempting to capture a sense of place that exists inside my own imagination.

I was in love with this painting until it was time to share it with the world. Suddenly there were imperfections and marks I no longer liked. But when I was in my studio working on more canvases I still loved those… It dawned on me that (once again) I was worried about how my work was going to be perceived instead of standing strongly behind work that I knew was “right”.

So I woke up this morning and said “F**k it. Post it to your grid because you love it and get on with it.” So here it is.

Thanks for taking this nice photo Leah Menner | Adelaide Photographer

18/08/2026

This teapot found a new home today.
Bye bye teapot - I hope you pour many nice teas!

02/08/2026

In case you missed it - Adelaide Ceramic Fair is my other “little” project. South Australia’s biggest celebration of handmade ceramics and the people who make + collect them.

As we head into our second year I’m full of excitement and proud of what we’re building. In over a decade selling work at markets I’ve never met an audience so enthusiastic and passionate about what I make.

If you’re a South Australian maker working with clay it’s your last chance to apply for our November 2026 event. Applications are due tonight - Sunday August 2 at midnight.

And if you love handmade ceramics then follow Adelaide Ceramic Fair and join our mailing list for news.

🩵🩵🩵

30/07/2026

Week 1: 5 pots per week

A simple and achievable goal to help me make more - without worrying about whether I’ve done “enough”. Week 1 has proved fruitful with 7 pots made, and another 4 finished that had been waiting for some surface treatment/love.

Looking forward to making a few things tomorrow morning.

25/07/2026

Yesterday marked 31 laps around the sun. I celebrated quietly with a few close pals. And left some time in my schedule today to think about making some pots - something that I just don’t have as much time to do as I’d like lately.

So I’m setting a goal to make 5 pots per week. Which doesn’t seem like a lot…. But I wanted the goal to be realistic and not weigh me down. I work at my job 3 (sometimes 4) days per week, and then I work on Adelaide Ceramic Fair 1 day per week. Between these commitments, sport, and just generally being an adult I often feel like there’s no time left for the studio. I’m looking forward to making the most of small pockets of time and keeping a little diary here of how my goal pans out.

🩵

📸 Film photos I took of my previous home studio… maybe from 2022?

18/07/2026

Paint. Dig. Scratch.
Mark. Mark. Mark. Mark. Mark. Mark.
Long soothing line.

These wall hanging pieces will be available this Friday 24.7
My mailing list will have early access on 23.7
🔗 in my bio if you don’t want to miss out

23/06/2026

Not-so-sneaky discounts and a new product launch ...

Many makers use the Wheatsheaf Sale to clear their shelves. And that's exactly what I'll do this Saturday. You'll find two stashes of work marked at $10 and $25. These pieces are all experiments, tests, samples, last-of-the-batch, or a case of "I just don't like them anymore" (and know that someone else out there will probably love). While discounting my work feels a bit weird and like I'm undervaluing myself I do LOVE seeing collectors walk away feeling like they got a really good deal.

I'm also excitedly awaiting shipment of some corks that will finish the first batch of sauce/oil pourers that I made a couple of months ago. With any luck they will arrive before the weekend (I'm crossing my fingers and toes - stay tuned for an update).

🗓️ 2:30-5:30pm | Saturday 27 June
📍 Wheatsheaf Hotel
39 George Street, Thebarton

See you there?

📸 1,2,3,4,6 by

08/05/2026

Well I’ve been a little quiet here this week. The fortune cookies could not have predicted that I would get myself a concussion last Sunday. But the advice provided by the fortune cookie is somehow so relevant!

My brain is recovering well. My symptoms haven’t been too bad. The head impact wasn’t super hard - but I do remember hearing an “ohhhh” sound in the room from multiple people as it happened. The doctor ordered one week of no work and THREE weeks of no skating. Minimal screen time, nothing too physical or too mentally taxing.

I’ve felt like there was a cloud in my brain all week. I’ve been feeling tired and getting in a very solid 9+ hours of sleep every night. My light and sound sensitivity is improving but still has a ways to go.

If you’ve sent me a message of some sort in the last week and I haven’t replied it’s not you - it’s literally me! I’m easing myself back into everything and trying to give my brain as much recovery time as possible. Doing too much results in more tiredness and a big headache! So as the fortune cookie says “You are progressing at the right speed”.

🧡🧠⏰🌞

Address

Prospect, SA

Website

http://www.ashleehopkins.com/

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