Paintings by Howard Hopkins

September 17, 2001

This would have been the 94th birthday of Charles Howard Hopkins, born September 17, 1907. Dad died two years ago, and I wanted to present some of his paintings as a tribute to him on this occasion. The following are just a few of the many paintings he did, mainly during his retirement years.

Howard Hopkins painting at his tilt table.

Columbines	Orange Cactus	Red Cactus
Southwestern Landscape	Switzerland Scene	Redrock Crossing near Sedona
Rimrock	Natural Bridge in Colorado	Sicilian Scene
Yellow Cactus	South Pacific	Red Cactus
Stream and Trees	Butte and Flowers	Western Stream

Dad liked western scenes and cactus blossoms, and painted those most often. His paintings were very detailed and realistic, almost like photographs. One art critic said his work was surrealistic, it was so realistic and orderly. For examples of this, see the paintings Rimrock, and Butte and Flowers above.

Dad had a tremor in his hands as he got older, a trait that seems to run in the family. His mother had that problem, as do I. But when Dad picked up his paint brush, the trembling stopped, and his hand was steady as a rock. He would sit for hours at his tilt table (of his own design), painting incredibly-detailed pictures with his 0000 brushes, which had only a few bristles.

Even though his talent as an artist was recognized by critics and in shows, Dad sold very few paintings. There didn't seem to be a market for his type of work. Most of his paintings are still in the family, although a few were sold or given to friends.

Return to his biography.