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Eric Hopkins

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Eric Hopkins (born 1951) is an American painter known for his aerial paintings of Penobscot Bay, Maine and glasswork.[1][2][3]

Life and career

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Hopkins was born in Bangor, Maine in 1951.[2] He is a descendant of Dr. Theophilus Hopkins; a Revolutionary War soldier in the Massachusetts regiment of George Washington's army.[4] Hopkins grew up on North Haven, Maine where he sold pop art figures he created out of lobster shells starting at age 9.[3][5] When Hopkins was 16 years old, he and his brother David opened an art gallery on the family's Hopkins Wharf.[6][7] A graduate of Rockland District High School in 1969,[8] Hopkins studied at Gorham State Teachers College (now the University of Southern Maine), Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Montserrat College of Art before graduating in 1976 from the Rhode Island School of Design[9] where he studied with glass sculptor Dale Chihuly.[8]

In 1981, Hopkins moved back to North Haven where he opened a gallery and married.[8] In 1983 he learned to fly an airplane;[8] from the air he filmed the ocean, coastline and mountains of mid-coast Maine with a VCR camcorder that he later developed into paintings.[4][10] He received his recreational pilot's license in 2004.[8]

Hopkins moved to Rockland in 2006 and opened a second art gallery.[8][10] Hopkins' mother owned and operated the Hopkins Wharf Gallery and North Haven Gift Shop (formerly W.S. Hopkins General Store) on North Haven for 60 years.[8] Hopkins' brother and a partner run the gallery.[7][6] Hopkins supplied the artwork and projection photography in 2021 for the musical Islands by John Wulp and Cidny Bullens.[11]

In the book Eric Hopkins: Above and Beyond, Carl Little associates Hopkins style with early 20th century modern painters such as John Marin to "reduce phenomena to their most essential components."[10] Hopkins is the subject of the Maine Public film series documentary Eric Hopkins: Atmospheres by filmmaker Dale Schierholt.[12][13][14][15][16] The Bangor Republican newspaper called him "The Official State Artist of Maine".[4]

Hopkins' work is included in the public collection of the Corning Museum of Glass.[17] Wustum Museum of Fine Arts[18] and the Farnsworth Museum.[2] His work has been displayed by the U.S. Department of State's Art in Embassies program.[19]

References

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  1. ^ Kevin, Brian (January 1, 2022). "Eric Hopkins Is Ready to Be More Than Just 'The Pointy-Piney-Island Guy'". downeast.com. Down East Magazine. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Belisle, Lisa (April 9, 2021). "Artist Trivia: Eric Hopkins". Farnsworth Art Museum. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Caldwell, Rob (September 24, 2019). "A Day On An Island with Maine Artist Eric Hopkins". newscentermaine.com. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Staff Writer (September 21, 2008). "Hopkins Relates History of Father". republicaneagle.com. Republican Observer. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  5. ^ Down East Magazine. October 1968. Allen Wolfe. Pop Art with Lobsters.
  6. ^ a b Little, Carl (May 29, 2021). "On the Record With … David Hopkins, Chair of Maine Arts Commission". islandinstitute.com. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Spark, Deborah (March 1, 2014). "North Haven Archive". mainehomedesign.com. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Belisle, Lisa (February 1, 2017). "Eric Hopkins: Following the Artist's Journey from His Spiritual Homeland on North Haven". themainemag.com. Maine Magazine. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  9. ^ Monstserrat College of Art. Alumnus Eric Hopkins '71.
  10. ^ a b c Beam, Edgar Allen (September 28, 2011). "Eric Hopkins: Above and Beyond Penobscot Bay". newengland.com. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  11. ^ Wulp, John (2003). John Wulp. Commonplace Pub Llc. p. 94. ISBN 0965164551.
  12. ^ Staff Writer (March 7, 2023). "Hopkins Painting to Benefit LifeFlight". knox.villagesoup.com. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  13. ^ Keyes, Bob (August 12, 2019). "For the love of the land, painter Eric Hopkins shows his work". pressherald.com. Portland Press Herald. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  14. ^ PenBay Pilot. Eric Hopkins Painting to Benefit United Midcoast Charities. August 2, 2020.
  15. ^ Maine Art Scene. Auction Features original Eric Hopkins to Benefit Cape Elizabeth Land Trust. Brenda Bonneville. August 9, 2019.
  16. ^ Pols, Mary (August 5, 2019). "Why Artist Eric Hopkins Teamed with Sea Bags". pressherald.com. Portland Press Herald. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  17. ^ "Sea Foam Shell Eric Hopkins (1980)". Corning Museum of Glass. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  18. ^ "Animal Magnetism: Sculpture from RAM's Collection". Racine Art Museum. December 22, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  19. ^ "Art In Embassies - Eric E. Hopkins". U.S. Department of State.

Further reading

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