About
Ingrid Hoffmeister
Lives & works in Del Mar, San Diego, CA
My passion for creative expression has been lifelong and not chosen. Rather, it chose me. I have played around all my life with poetry, drama, drawing and writing. British-born and educated in England, I came to the USA in 1984. Fifteen years ago, I was fortunate to meet a local Jungian Analyst and artist who introduced me to psychologist Carl Jung's concept of dreams and active imagination. I began to play and experiment with painting, allowing my own unconscious world to spontaneously express itself through color and form. My motive was purely personal, and I didn’t think about exhibiting or selling my work until I met a trained Mexican artist who also painted spontaneously through active imagination. Her respect and understanding for my work process culminated in her becoming my mentor. For the past 3 years we have exhibited together both in San Diego, CA and Tijuana, Mexico. My passion for trusting oneself to the canvas is paramount and selling the paintings has been an unexpected outcome. Working spontaneously requires leaving your judgement behind and risking a break from conventional thinking. Knowing there is no right or wrong is where my passion lives. I work in acrylic paint and ink on canvas.
Just after I retired as an MFT (Marriage & Family Therapist) I met a co-worker in a class for ‘Writing & Performing your own Monologue’. We had great fun and a shared belief in the power of creative play. We decided to join forces and form a company called, “Play2Create”. We ran residential women’s workshops in both Italy and Baja, Mexico for a number of years. Our mission was never to teach a “How To’ write, move, or paint, but rather to hold space for an authentic, individual experience. In retrospect, the time period soon after my friend and business partner died of cancer, coincided with my personal need to create a studio space.
Although no longer a business, my “Play2Create” mission remains the same and is relevant in the paintings I do today. The important message to all women is for us to find our own creative voices and follow the passions that emerge within us. This can take many forms. I have found mine and for this am eternally grateful. Nowadays, my work is shown and sold is galleries in San Diego, CA and Tijuana, Mexico and privately as far as Europe and Australia. If my work creates dialogue or if a person relates to or is moved by one of my paintings, I know I have touched an important place. That is wonderful and enough. Last year, the Ray Sisters, a young filmmaking duo, were winners at the Moët Moment Film Festival with this 1-minute piece featuring me filmed in my studio, which played at Moët’s Tribeca Film Festival and Golden Globe events.
Please take a minute to watch: "A Not So Still Life” (1min.) https://vimeo.com/210354628 (Synopsis: Inspired by the idea that most big moments are sparked by small, unexpected moments of self-discovery. The woman in the film is an artist in real life. She inspires with her own ageless confidence and ability to run with whatever life throws at her.)