Off The Wall Magazine Q&A with Eric Hopkins
4/1/2019
Maine: I was conceived on North Haven Island in the summer of 1950, and born in April 1951, near the Penobscot River in Bangor. I grew up living on the edge, where the land, water, and sky meet. This vantage point has given me sights, visions, and insights that inspire me and my work.
Inspiration: I’m interested in understanding the forces of nature by studying art, science, history and technology. Looking back at our little blue-green island Earth from the moon has had a profound influence on me. I’m driven to look at the Earth from the Sky and the Sky from Earth.
Medium: Ideas are my medium. I have a working knowledge of and experience with many materials. The fluidity of molten glass has been a central theme in all my work, whether it is through watercolor, oil paint, wood, rock, drawing, or photography.
Artist Hero: The cave painters and other so-called primitive artists have given me a strong visual language. I like to think I’m carrying on their legacy, along with more recent artists like Louise Nevelson, Bernard “Blackie” Langlais, John Marin, Marsden Hartley, Dale Chihuly, James “Jamie” Carpenter, and Italo Scanga.
Studio: I work in, and out of, a variety of small spaces on the water’s edge on North Haven, in Rockland, and in Anacortes, Washington. Most of my creative vision comes from exploring the world wherever I am: in a boat, a plane, a car, or on foot, or through the lenses of video and still cameras as my “electronic sketchbook.”
Where in Maine: I choose to live on or near wide-open spaces, close to the water under a wide-open sky.
Fun Fact: While I’m fairly well known as a Maine artist who paints pointy pine tree–covered islands, I like to think of myself as an American artist. In fact, my name, Eric, is right in the middle of America. I’m following my American dream by working and living on my home island and also traveling around the continent exploring various regions and national parks.
Education: Studying what’s beneath my feet and above my head is most important to me. My more formal education was at Gorham State College (now the University of Southern Maine); Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts; Marlboro College in Vermont; Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Stonington, Maine; Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington; and Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, where I graduated from the sculpture and glass program.
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