John R. Hopkins
Lynx North Studio
Exhibiting at Studio O
Oil Skyscapes and Landscapes plus Watercolor/Ink Studies
J. R. Lince-Hopkins
117 Oak St N
Chaska, MN 55318
952.923.5218
lynxnorthstudio@yahoo.com
www.lynxnorthstudio.com
Looking Up
Environmentally focused paintings and other art forms from the early 21st century build a foundational historic context for future generations. They are documents of the time of “the first awareness” by the human species about the course and implications of climate disruption. As this awareness settles in, climate disruption in the form of weather (as it affects biodiversity, human society and the physical planet) has become, for me, a main topic of my work.
Weather, with its’ elements of sky, cloud, wind, storm, and precipitation (or lack of it) is the “voice” of climate. It is “songs from the air” that can sooth like a lullaby or ominously rise in a crescendo of fury like Wagner’s Valkyries… or beyond! Altogether, the ever changing manifestations of the atmosphere and its interactions with the ecosystems, soil, rocks, and waters of the planet provide gorgeous, expressive, and endless inspiration.
My ongoing work focuses upon the dynamic juxtaposition of Lake Superior with the moods of the sky above it. Some of my current paintings are “skyscapes” (clouds alone) depicting the mood of the sky just above the horizon. As with George Morrison, the horizon is an enigma that is increasingly becoming a part of my work as the water of the lake reflects and expresses the moods of the sky.