Eric Hopkins
Red Sky at Night, watercolor, gouache & crayon, 2-14-09, 12" x 18"
Eric Hopkins began his career as a glass artist, working for six years as an assistant to Dale Chihuly at the Pilchuck Glass School, but after a one-man show at New York’s Heller Gallery in 1981, returned to his native North Haven to reconsider his direction as an artist. There, he reconnected with the natural world of Penobscot Bay, and using any media that presented itself, including glass, paint and found natural materials, began forging a signature style that has become an icon of the Maine Coast.
Hopkins’ work is deeply tied to his surroundings, which he explores by boat and small plane to get a better perspective. His paintings are often characterized by bold outlines and bright colors with a loose, soaring movement that echoes not only the rythm of earth, sky and ocean, but also his own joyful sense of wonder and connection to the world around him.