Artist Eric Hopkins has donated a painting to the Falmouth Land Trust, which is conducting a raffle to raise money towards the purchase of Underwood Springs Forest. Having a penchant for creating landscapes and paintings of the natural world, Hopkins is an advocate for local land conservancy. Courtesy
FALMOUTH — A work by renowned Maine artist Eric Hopkins is being raffled by the Falmouth Land Trust to raise money towards the purchase of Underwood Springs Forest.
“One of Maine’s most acclaimed artists, Eric Hopkins has been a supporter of Maine lands trusts for decades,” said the Falmouth Land Trust in a prepared release.
“(We are) deeply honored to have the support of Eric Hopkins,” said Land Trust Executive Director Jennifer Grimm. “Eric’s talent and concern for the future of the land in Maine are inspiring. It is particularly significant that an artist of his caliber recognizes the importance of local land trusts.”
“Big Spencer Mountain” measures approximately 2 1/2-by-3 1/2-feet framed. Only 100 tickets at $250 each will be available for purchase until the raffle closes on Oct. 30, when the winning entry will be drawn at Town Landing Market. Email info@falmouthlandtrust.org or call 200-5488 to purchase tickets in person. Tickets will also be sold at Town Landing Market on Oct. 12 and Moss Gallery on Oct. 15. The artwork is valued at $7,000. More details can be found at falmouthlandtrust.org.
Born in 1951 in Bangor and raised on the island of North Haven, Hopkins works in many mediums, including oil, watercolor, glass and wood cut. According to his website, Hopkins is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design and has taught at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and Pilchuck Glass School. He has exhibited at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Portland Museum of Art, Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockland, University of Maine Museum of Art and national galleries. His paintings and glass are held in private and public collections that include Corning Museum of Glass and the U.S. Department of State Art in embassies in Bahamas, Mali, Pakistan, Philippines and the West Indies. He is also represented in the corporate collections of Central Maine Power, L.L.Bean, Johnson Wax, TD Bank and IDEXX Laboratories.
“Big Spencer Mountain” depicts a natural landscape that includes water, land and sky, which he hopes will build respect for nature.
“Our earth is becoming increasingly congested,” said Hopkins in the release. “Humans need open space to breathe and think, so I’m happy to support Falmouth Land Trust’s goal of protecting land in an increasingly crowded part of Falmouth.”
Leading up to the raffle, the land trust will exhibit the painting at Elizabeth Moss Gallery on Route 1 in Falmouth.
Plans to buy the $800,000 property began in February and the land trust is just shy of $60,000 towards its goal.
“It’s been a great community effort and I can’t believe how generous our community has been,” Grimm said.
The land is bordered by Route 1 and the Underwood Road area. Trails in the preserve would connect to the Woodman trail, a 6.6-acre preserve off Johnson Road, as well as a number of informal trails that run through wooded areas of town, Grimm said.
“This could extend the trail network in the most densely populated part in town,” she said. “The number I came up with was 700 households within three-quarters of a mile of this property, so a lot of residents could have access to this.”
“We are so appreciative of Eric Hopkins for seeing the value of Underwood Springs Forest and for donating an exquisite painting in support of its permanent protection,” said FLT Board President Michael Vance. “We’re also grateful to Elizabeth Moss Gallery, which donated the framing of Eric’s artwork, and to Betta Stothart Consulting, which helped connect FLT with Eric Hopkins to facilitate this exciting donation.”
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