Finding Hope in Art with Hope Cross
With nature as my muse
and creativity as my fuel,
hope from earth is my
co-creation with her to
spread hope, light, and
love to the world.
—Hope Cross,
from her website hopefromearth.com
Sharing nature’s optimistic creative spirit is a joyful journey with artist, writer and nature-lover Hope Cross.
As I write this blog post review, I am listening to recorded nature sounds and escaping into Hope’s website—HopeFromEarth.com—that offers a virtual walk with nature that Hope does in reality each day on her Georgia acres.
Several years ago, Hope began communicating publicly about her embrace of nature and art from her suburban home where she and her husband, Steve, lived. Hope had left her career as a Master’s level Therapist to share every moment with and be primary caregiver of Steve, who became inflicted with ALS shortly before their wedding in 2011.
Hope transformed their backyard into a lovely woodland of herbs, flowers, and—I feel sure—fairies. From her backyard bounty, she created essential oils, and with these, an apothecary business. She also began creating Earth Paintings, Nature Weavings and Photography Prints.
Hope and Steve’s backyard deck served as a studio, with canvas laid upon it—on which Steve drove his paint-covered wheelchair wheels and Hope walked with her paint-covered bare feet, together creating art.
Then, on April 2, 2020, the heartbreaking event happened—Steve passed from his life as we know it.
Since then, in the great loss, sadness, and pain, Hope’s journey has been one that includes redefinition of her purpose and of her own life.
Eventually relocating to life-affirming land in rural Georgia abounding with mountains, streams, trees, wild grasses, wild turkeys, dogs, cats, and birds everywhere (beautiful note: birds are one way Hope believes Steve communicates with her), Hope’s every moment is a celebration of finding hope as a sustaining emotion and of finding Hope—herself and her purpose—through her various creations. She writes:
Honestly, life has brought me to so many beautifully challenging and rewarding places, that I have learned to trust the unfolding of things. What a beautiful gift walking through my life has given me, that perception of trusting the process and steady walking one foot in front of the other.
—Hope Cross,
from blog post “Answering the Call from Mineral Bluff”
Photographer Hope Cross “answering the call” by exploring her new life and her lovely land in the mountains of Georgia and by capturing with her camera the gorgeous scenes to share.
Photo courtesy of Hope Cross.
Subject and Media
Hope’s Earth Paintings are tactile images of nature made with nature, meaning, her subject is nature, often cheerful birds, made with pigment paints on flower-dyed canvases. She also paints in oil and watercolor.
Hope’s Photography Prints captivate the viewer with gorgeous close-up views of spider webs, flowers, mushrooms, bees, birds, and landscapes.
Hope’s Nature Weavings connect found objects in nature with both natural and colorful materials, making sensuous fiber art wall hangings.
Hope’s Apothecary offers gifts from the earth that Hope crafts into body-and-soul-boosting-and-soothing oils and flower essences.
The Hope From Earth Shop also offers gorgeous flower-dyed clothing.
Tone and Theme
In Hope’s paintings, the birds, flowers, land and sky scenes engage the viewer with their aspect of animation and joy; it is as if the subjects will turn from the canvas and sing to you.
The inspiring, uplifting tone of all of her creations enrich the viewer with the following themes:
1. Optimism and Gratitude
2. Earth as Provider of Hope and Joy
3. Journey with Openness to Life
One of Hope’s Earth Paintings.
As she states in her description of her art, which you can read in its entirety near the end of this post:
” My painted birds are greater than life and not true to size as I paint them as I see their big personalities show up in their little bodies.”
Photo Courtesy of Hope Cross
One of Hope’s Nature Weavings.
As she states in her Artist Statement, which you can read in its entirely near the end of this post:
“I use dried flowers and other bits of nature and a variety of natural fibers to create unique weavings. Also, being a painter, I often make weavings utilizing old paint brushes and palettes.”
Photo Courtesy of Hope Cross
Writings: Blog Post, Social Media, Poetry
An accomplished writer, Hope shares the above-stated themes of her visual art—optimism and gratitude; earth as provider of hope and joy; journey with openness to life—along with her sadness and struggles in expressive and honest blog posts, social media, and through poetry.
For example, she writes in her blog post “Answering the Call from Mineral Bluff” the following excerpt:
It’s been a wild journey and if I could pull Steve down from the heavens to join me I would, but for now I’ll do the next best thing and that is to enjoy every day I’m gifted with down here in my little patch of Earth. I will remember to be grateful as I work through the challenges of life, and I will soak up every ounce of magic this place has to offer. Not just because I promised Steve I would, but because I know it’s why I’m here. I’m so thankful I’m here.
—Hope Cross,
from blog post “Answering the Call from Mineral Bluff”
And can’t we all as humans relate in some way to this starkly honest excerpt from one of Hope’s poems?
When I’m walking with friends, I point out flowers.
I want to share in the magic that exists
naturally around us
…
I suppose in many ways; I hope if I can slow
you down to see the wildflowers, then I can
slow you down enough to see me.
—Hope Cross,
from #poemswithhope, Instagram post, May 15, 2021
Hope’s art and her vision is seeing nature and life in all of its richness and magic.
NOTE: I have had the blessing of knowing Hope and Steve together—the most loving and inspiring couple. I am Steve’s aunt, Aunt MeMe, as I have always been called by Steve and his sister Rachelle.
The trials given to Hope and Steve have been huge; their love and optimism have been greater.
I often quote the following bolstering words that Hope said to me several years ago:
“You take what life gives you
And you make it work.”
Hope Cross Dezember
Steve said to me these words that resound in my heart, soul and mind continually:
“At first, when I learned I had ALS,
I was resentful, and then,
I realized,
I didn’t want to live my life that way.”
Steve Dezember II
For more about Hope and Steve, please see my blog post of April 8, 2020, entitled “Canvas of Life, Look Closely.”
You can meet Hope Cross and hear more about her art and her creative journey at Creatives in Conversation on Wednesday, June 2, 5:30 pm MT. Join us!
From the Divine Studio:
Creatives in Conversation
presents
HOPE CROSS
Artist and Writer
Presenting
“Finding Hope in Art”
Wednesday JUNE 2, 2021 5:30 pm MT!
Register for this free event here:
If you already are a subscriber to my newsletter/email list, you are already registered! You do not need to register again.
Artist Hope Cross, creating in her studio.
Photo of Hope Cross
Courtesy of Hope Cross
Photo of Hope Cross
Courtesy of Hope Cross
About Hope Cross
Hope Cross is a Master's level Therapist who resides in the North Georgia Mountains. After her husband was diagnosed with ALS, Hope quit her job as a therapist to become his full-time caregiver. At the same time of caregiving, Hope needed a creative outlet to help her cope with the stress of being a sole provider 24/7. Exploring different mediums of painting and other creative outlets, Hope maintained her mental health while caring for her husband for nine years. Losing her husband in April of 2020, Hope is now on a journey of self-discovery to what her identity is without the role of caring for the person she loves. She has dedicated herself fully to her many crafts and is inspired by the nature surrounding her.
Hope’s Artist Statement
I am a multidisciplinary artist who receives my inspiration from nature. Growing up in a family of photographers, I am naturally drawn to picking up my camera to capture any beauty I see around me; which in Mineral Bluff, GA, is a lot! My grandmother was a wheat weaver and jewelry maker, and she would make the most incredible art pieces to sell at her store and art shows. I marveled at her talent when meandering through her work and draw on her as inspiration in my weavings today. I use dried flowers and other bits of nature and a variety of natural fibers to create unique weavings. Also, being a painter, I often make weavings utilizing old paint brushes and palettes. Painting is one of my greatest pleasures that I find meditative. I have explored many mediums and saw my most growth using oils, pigments, and watercolors. As a lover of flowers and being a curious creative, I explore with natural flower dyeing and turn flowers into paints. This exploration is heavily seen in my work.
Hope’s Description of Her Art
I make abstract nature pieces that capture the wild and whimsy way I see the world around me. I am highly motivated by the birds I see in my day-to-day life and the trees I, fortunately, live amongst. My style is to capture the messy character of nature that goes untouched. The lichen and moss freely growing up trees, the wildflowers growing to meet the weeds. My painted birds are greater than life and not true to size as I paint them as I see their big personalities show up in their little bodies. Also inspired by the medicine nature provides, being an herbalist, I will often paint apothecary-inspired art to pay homage to the full circle way in which nature holds me.
Hope with Marlowe, creating in her divine studio in the mountains of Georgia.
Photo credit: “Answering the Call from Mineral Bluff” blog post by Hope on her website.
About Blog Author
Mary Dezember, PhD, is a poet and author of fiction and non-fiction. She is also Steve Dezember’s aunt, lovingly-called Aunt MeMe. Aunt MeMe is seen here in 2013 visiting Steve and Hope at their Georgia home and holding a painting by Steve and Hope that she had just bought with great excitement!
Also pictured are, to her left, Steve, Hope, Marlowe, Ozzy (foreground), and holding the painting with her, is her son Sean Ritchel.
Mary earned her PhD in Comparative Literature, specialization in Comparative Arts, from Indiana University in 2000, with PhD minors in Art History and Performance Studies.
Retired Professor of English, she taught Comparative Arts, Art History, Creative Writing and Literature at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology from August 2000 to May 2021. Her publications include several non-fiction essays and articles and two books of poetry: Earth-Marked Like You (Sunstone Press) and Still Howling (CreateSpace Independent Publishing). Her novel, Wild Conviction, is in the works to be published by Inkshares.