Q&A: Pablo Pandani AKA Bec Hopson
A Hobart legal professional has transformed her once personal creative outlet into a widely-recognised visual - and wearable - love letter to Tasmania’s cafés, communities and everyday places.
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Bec Hopson (image: Pablo Pandani)
Where did you grow up, and how did you end up here at the bottom of the world?
I was born in Sydney, and spent my childhood moving up and down the east coast of Australia as my parents changed careers and moved cities. We ended up in Tassie when I was 14, and I stuck around until I’d finished my studies in Arts and Law at university. When I graduated, there was a sense of nothing really happening here, and most people were leaving to get jobs, so my husband and I did that, too. We moved to Perth and stayed for five years.
I’m born for the warm weather, so Perth suited me in many ways. It’s got a beautiful outdoor lifestyle and amazing beaches, but it felt quite claustrophobic at times. Eventually, the pull of our families brought my husband and I back to Tasmania in 2018 shortly after we got married. We’ve been here ever since.
Had much changed between leaving Tasmania, and returning five years later?
Absolutely - we noticed straight away that Hobart had changed. Dark Mofo had started shortly after we left, and that seemed to have had an enormous influence on the way that the city saw and positioned itself. There were so many more businesses, events and opportunities, and that really suited the kind of lifestyle that we were seeking.
We now live in Margate, and I love that I can be out listening to cows at home, but I’m less than 20 minutes’ drive from the city. I hadn’t appreciated before we left the diversity of the landscapes down here, either - you can go half an hour any way, and find yourself in any kind of scene, from bush to waterfalls and cliffs. I haven’t found anywhere else in the world that feels so natural, safe and enjoyable.
You continue to work as a legal professional, but you’ve gone “Tasmania-viral” for something else entirely. How was Pablo Pandani born?
I fell pregnant with our first son at the start of Covid - I actually found out roughly the same week that we went into lockdown. I started to think about what I might do with a year of maternity leave - likely while still socially isolating - outside of being a new parent. I knew a lot of people who were getting Masters degrees, but I wanted to do something completely different.
The algorithm must have known what I was thinking, because I saw a Facebook ad for a watercolour travel sketching course with a South Korean artist. I was really drawn to this artist’s style - bold pen strokes and watercolours - so I took the course. I liked the idea of learning to draw the memories of my previous travels, particularly if the pandemic meant that I was never going to be able to leave Tasmania again!
After my son was born, I started taking myself out to local cafés and drawing the space while I was there. It was the first time that I got a real appreciation for these places, their atmospheres, and the ways in which they could connect me back to society.
Over the next few years, drawing became a progressively bigger part of my life. I joined an artists’ mentorship program, and eventually built up the confidence to actively sell my work. By 2024, I had written and illustrated a children’s book, and been commissioned to draw hundreds of homes and buildings. It started as something that I wanted to learn as a new creative hobby, and has grown into something really magical.
Maxie Coffee, Kingston (image: Facebook)
You recently launched the Hobart Coffee Crawl jumper. What inspired your first piece of wearable art?
Halfway through last year, I realised that while I love drawing houses, I was really interested in doing something that means something to more people and to me. That drew me back to cafés. I love how these spaces speak to whole communities, and connect people to each other and the places where they live, work, and socialise. By the end of 2025, I had released a Hobart coffee calendar, featuring 12 of the city’s most beloved cafés and encouraging people to consciously meet friends in these places to support small businesses while reconnecting with each other.
A number of the included cafés did interesting things with their drawings, and it was seeing these layers being added to what I’d originally done that gave me the idea of a collage of all of the images printed on a jumper. When I saw that, everything clicked. I finally understood what it was all about: one image that captures Hobart’s outstanding coffee culture, which punches so far above its weight. This is just 12 of Hobart’s favourite cafés, and there are so many more, so I plan on doing subsequent editions, with different elements of that scene that mean different things to different people.
The Hobart Coffee Crawl jumper (image: Pablo Pandani)
What else is in the works for Pablo Pandani?
I’m currently working on the next 12 cafés for next year’s calendar, so I still spend much of my creative time in my favourite places! I’ve also had some really interesting enquiries come through recently, including a big commission for a hotel, some collateral concepts for a new business, and packaging for a local food brand. Many of these things are unlike anything I’ve ever done before, but people seem to want to work with me because of the style of my art, as well as what I represent - a love for community, small business, and people working hard to do something different here in Tassie.
As someone who obviously adores food and coffee culture, can you pick any favourite venues?
For me, it’s about what I’m looking for on a particular day or in a particular moment. Because the quality is so good in Hobart, you can go just about anywhere and get a good cup of coffee, so my decision is typically dictated by what I want to have with my coffee, or what I need to do while I’m there. If it’s pastry, I’ll go to Pigeon Whole Bakers, or to Pilgrim for their Portuguese tarts. If I need somewhere to sit down and work for a while, I might head into Criterion Street Café, or if I just want to grab a quick coffee on the go, I’ll duck into Staple or Yellow Bernard.
After hours, I really like Rude Boy for the vibe, an easy feed and a great cocktail. I also love the waterfront area, and places like Restaurant MARIA and The Drunken Admiral have done such a wonderful job of creating really special experiences that are unique in their own ways.
Where do you get away to for a Tasmanian staycation?
My husband’s mum grew up on Bruny Island, so we love to get over there for a long weekend with the kids. On Bruny, you basically need to plan a roof over your head, and then spend the whole day outdoors. The beaches are spectacular, and the pace is so laidback - we love it.
What do you believe are three must-dos for every visitor to Lutruwita/Tasmania?
Head up to the peak of Kunanyi/Mount Wellington and take in the views, preferably at sunrise. I do it once a year on the shortest day of the year, so that I get the latest sleep-in possible!
Have a coffee and pastry at one of our excellent cafés - bonus points if it’s Queens Pastry’s monkey bread.
Get to Bruny Island, making sure that you stop for a loaf of sourdough from the Bruny Baker.
