Sandra Hopley Fine Art

Sandra Hopley Fine Art Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Sandra Hopley Fine Art, Painter, Westham Island, Richmond, BC.

Sandra Hopley | Emerging Artist
🎨 Professional oil painter in Vancouver, BC.
✨ Traditional PNW wildlife & landscapes.
🌿 Studio & en plein air studies.
📍 Featured at Stockhome Design.
🦆 Explore my Seasonal Bird Series
👇 View work & inquiries below:

09/04/2026

Sound on! 🎶✨

These guys are cold weather specialists. Pine Siskins can withstand temperatures as low as -70 degrees Celsius!

🎨 5”x7", Ink on Paper
📸 Reference: Rob Irving
🔊 Audio: Greg Irving and Richard E. Webster (via Xeno-canto)

09/01/2026

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Fun Fact: The "winter fluff" look is actually a survival technique called ptiloerection. They trap air between their feathers to create a layer of insulation, which turns them into these little fluff-balls.

Audio Credit: Thomas Magarian / Xeno-Canto
Photo Credit: Vern Clooten


08/29/2026

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Fun Fact: Bushtits weave moss, lichen, leaves, and spider silk into dangling nests that can reach up to a foot long. The flexible spider silk actually allows the nest to expand as the chicks grow!
I often spot these intricate woven homes while walking near the UBC Endowment Lands. 🌿🐦

🎨 7”x5", Ink on Paper
📸 Reference: Kerry Enns
🔊 Audio: Greg Irving (via Xeno-canto)

08/27/2026

Sound on to hear their call! 🎶✨

The Varied Thrush may look like a “fancy” robin, but it's more often found in forests than on open lawns. Its call has an eerie whistle-like tone on one pitch, pauses, and then sings a second tone on a completely different chord. It sounds almost haunting!

I had an enjoyable day painting outside yesterday with . -prima -air
08/26/2026

I had an enjoyable day painting outside yesterday with .

-prima -air

07/31/2026

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When a kingfisher hits the water, it doesn't actually see its prey with its "main" eyes. Instead, it has a transparent third eyelid called a nictitating membrane. The moment it hits the surface, this eyelid slides across the eye. This protects the eye from the impact and helps the bird see clearly underwater to sn**ch the fish.

🎨 7”x5", Ink on Paper
📸 Reference: Les Liddle
🔊 Audio: Pere Josa (via Xeno-canto)

07/27/2026

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Nicknamed "Butterbutt", because of the yellow feathers on its rear, the Yellow-rumped Warbler has bold streaks and sharp contrasts that make it stand out even without colour. It’s also one of the earliest warblers to return in spring, able to eat waxy berries when there are few insects around.

🎨 5"x7", Ink on Paper
📸 Reference: Peter Gardener
🔊 Audio: Richard E. Webster (via Xeno-canto)

P.S. If you live in Canada or the Pacific Northwest and want to test your bird ID skills, check out my study-quiz app here: https://www.sandrahopley.com/birding-by-habitat

Over the past few months, I’ve been pairing my fine-line ink drawings of local birds with authentic field recordings to ...
07/22/2026

Over the past few months, I’ve been pairing my fine-line ink drawings of local birds with authentic field recordings to build a series of short video identification quizzes. I originally put these together as a fun personal tool to help train my own ear and eye, but I thought other bird lovers and backyard watchers might enjoy testing their skills too!

The quizzes focus on Pacific Northwest species alongside familiar North American garden visitors—like the Steller’s Jay, Varied Thrush, and Black-capped Chickadee.

Since this is a brand-new project, I’d love to get your honest feedback:
How did you find the visual clues vs. the audio?
Are there any birds you'd like me to add?

Thanks so much for taking a look and playing along!

There are three quizzes, but this is the one I find most helpful: https://www.sandrahopley.com/birding-by-habitat

07/09/2026

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I could hear this wonderful singer, before I could see it. The Lincoln's Sparrow is a shy songbird often hiding in dense shrubs and wet meadows. Its colours and buffy tones make it quite camouflaged.

🎨 7”x5", Ink on Paper
📸 Reference: Mark Luther
🔊 Audio: Ron Overholtz (via Xeno-canto)

07/01/2026

Like sparrows, Spotted Towhees have a very specific way of finding food. Instead of using their beak, they perform a "double-scratch" move where they hop forward and then kick both feet backward at the same time to uncover insects and seeds in the leaf debris.

🎨 7”x5", Ink on Paper
📸 Reference: Maria Rak
🔊 Audio: Simon Elliott, Brent Beach & Ian Cruickshank (via Xeno-canto)

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Westham Island
Richmond, BC
V4K 3N2

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