Wall Sculptures: Overview


Circadian Loops

Treble, 2002
Treble, 2002

Circadian Loops is a series of wall sculptures characterized by twisting loops of wood, and are inspired by notions of "circadian rhythms" -- biological clocks that operate in roughly 24 hour cycles as "adaptations to life on a rotating world". As the series evolved, Hopkins began to incorporate colored fabric and plastic, which, in turn, suggested figurative forms in gymnast-like movement. Hopkins prefers to dramatize their interactive energy by installing them in scattered clusters on the wall -- creating, what he terms, "a parallel universe of circadian rhythms".


See Circadian Loops Gallery

Heterosis Series

Elapidine Twist, 1997
Elapidine Twist, 1997
Heterosis Series evolves from the curvilinear forms of Hopkins' Rust-Stained Series, and, additionally, pursues a more "open approach" by exposing the skeletal armature and wood-ribbed-joinery of these wall-mounted sculptures. The word "heterosis" refers to the "increased vigor or other superior qualities arising from the crossbreeding of genetically different plants or animals." Hopkins literally employs this theme of "crossbreeding" by incorporating different fabric-coverings alongside those of rust-stained canvas. As a result, these sculptural forms have a more quirky and animated energy than seen in Hopkins' previous work.

 

Rust-Stained Series

Purdah, 1996
Purdah, 1996

Rust-Stained Series represents Hopkins' exclusive use of oxidation as a means for staining canvas, having evolved from his earlier experiments with various process approaches in the Process-Work Series. For Hopkins the process of wrapping and unwrapping rusted metal with wet canvas imbues the work with a "shroud-like pathos" by evoking the absence of someone or something through "the presence of their transferred stains". The use of curvilinear armatures, comprised of wooden ribs, helps to give the work an "otherworldly" sculptural presence that is both alluring and mysterious. 



See Rust-Stained Series Gallery

 Process-Work Series

Embrace, 1993
Embrace, 1993
Process-Work Series reflects Hopkins' first experiments with "process" approaches to making art. Primarily beginning with washed, raw canvas, Hopkins explored alternative methods to "pigmenting" — or staining canvas, the traditional "ground" for oil painting. His initial explorations involved wrapping and unwrapping wet canvas around different perishable foods, such as fruits and vegetables, as a means for producing stains from their decomposition. In turn, these were mounted on different kinds of supports — eventually evolving into a curvilinear form, as later developed in the Rust-Stained Series.


Doorskin Sculptures 

Collar Form, 1992
Collar Form, 1992
Doorskin Sculptures continue the reductive approach that Hopkins first began with Secular Templates, a series completed prior to his moving to downtown Los Angeles. A working metaphor Hopkins used during this series was that of "stripping-down a couch" — a minimalist conceit for exposing the underlying, skeletal structure of form. In following this approach, Hopkins worked exclusively with a "doorskin-and-wood-frame" construction. The use of interior openings — which literally invite viewers to step inside, add an element of whimsy and playful interaction.

 


Wall Constructions

Secular Apsis, 1990
Secular Apsis, 1990
Wall Constructions straddle the formal boundaries between painting and sculpture. Comprised of two series, Shifting Fragments and Secular Templates, they seem to foreshadow issues that would characterize Hopkins’s later work. In hindsight, one may even perceive Hopkins’s ideas as "coming full-circle" when comparing his most recent work, Blind Insights to his earlier Shifting Fragments. Where does "visceral language" end, and "figurative language" begin? Such is the focus of Hopkins’s work — both "reveling" and "revealing" in our ever-shifting perceptions of reality.