Artist Feature: Justin Hopkins
“Sometimes the parts you leave out are more important than the parts you leave in.”
The work of Justin Hopkins speaks to me like poetry. The mood he evokes, with the human subjects depicted in his paintings, speaks an abstract narrative. Although his visual voice is so versatile using a myriad of mediums, a signature style is evident. His work is often filled with empty spaces and absent fragments that if present would give his paintings more definition. Leaving out these details, while giving focus to others, gives his work a state of neutrality.
Absent torsos and fragmented settings masked with broad strokes of the palette knife, or simply never included, create a mystery, allowing the viewer to insert their own personal interpretation. Are his subjects jovial? Are they disturbed?
“Sometimes the parts you leave out are more important than the parts you leave in.”
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Justin Hopkins (b 1986) grew up in the small town of Mukilteo, Washington. Raised by a sculptor and an illustrator, he was immersed in the arts early on. He began drawing at age six and garnering corporate advertising assignments by the age of fourteen. He later relocated to Los Angeles, where he began creating works for Google, Redbull, Wired Magazine, Pabst, and ESPN. Justin is happily juggling life between New York and California. He has held several group and solo exhibitions throughout the US.
His next showing will be in Portland, OR at the P:ear Gallery, a gallery devoted to creatively mentoring homeless youth. The exhibition will be from March 3rd to March 18th, 2016. Find all the details: here.