One of the recurring questions that we frequently get asked at Ogunquit Barometer is “Where can I purchase artwork depicting Ogunquit scenery?”
If you’re seeking paintings with a pronounced flavor of the light, landscape, seasonality, and shorelines of Ogunquit, Maine (plus the salt marshes and tidal flats of surrounding towns), then you will definitely want to acquaint yourself with the work of artist Madeleine Pydych Hopkins.
“Hopkins (originally from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania) is a 1982 graduate of Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island, USA with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. She began her career in Philadelphia as a corporate interior designer. After relocating to Southern Maine, Hopkins left corporate interiors to paint and design independently. In the early 90’s she owned and managed an Ogunquit art gallery representing 30 artists, as well as her own work. She then turned her focus to studio work and plein-air painting. She also wrote and published a book. She has illustrated for architects and designed houses for builders. In 2003, Hopkins was commissioned to illustrate the Designer Showhouse and several of the interior rooms for Yankee Magazine of New England, receiving national recognition.”
About Madeleine P. Hopkins
Hopkins’ paintings leverage perspective, color, and composition techniques certain to deliver the viewer to the same hidden and idyllic corners of Maine that have inspired her to bring brush to canvas.
Something about Hopkins’ paintings tangibly conjures the feel and scent of the salty mist so often hugging our coastal neighborhoods.
Hopkins’ approach to the canvas speaks in a unique and instantly recognizable language all her own.
Here are dories, floating on water exquisite with reflected light. Here are snow fields, dazzled with the interplay of sun and shadow patterns shaped by the surrounding trees. Here are the many shades of blue and green that serve as visual building blocks of our local scenery. Here are the burnt and ruddy colors of autumn emerging on our coastal wetlands. Here is the strong geometry of stones and boulders along Maine’s rugged coastline. And the leaves… glorious leaves… facets of foliage conspiring to pull our eyes towards the mystery of their playful patterns.
Hopkins’ approach to the canvas speaks in a unique and instantly recognizable language all her own. A specific range of tonal values. A comforting, timeless haziness. A love affair with nature and place. Hopkins creates fine art splashed with delicious droplets of architectural design and graphic illustration — which bring additional depth and color to her paintings.
“I am a painter of life and color,” states Hopkins. “My work reflects the continuous evolution of light and mood and offers my perspective on ‘place’. My views conjure an alternative to what is expected. Primarily, my paintings are about catching a moment, not so much about telling a story or looking at a view but seeing and experiencing a moment that evokes a response, sometimes deconstructed. I value quiet time. I seek altered states in my paintings… a place off the main path.”
My Conversation With Maine Artist, Madeleine P. Hopkins
Thanks for discussing your work with me today. Can we begin by having you give my readers a little bit of background information about the type of work for which you’re best known?
I have been an artist in the Ogunquit region for over 30 years. I had a gallery in Ogunquit in 1991 & 1992 on the corner of Route 1 & Hoyt’s Lane called Hoyt’s Lane Gallery. I had 25 artists in my gallery, including my own work. I work in oil, acrylic watercolor and pastel. It’s hard to know which medium I’m best known for, possibly watercolor?
What exactly is it that drives you to create?
There is so much natural beauty here. It’s why I live here. It doesn’t take much to motivate me creatively, especially in this environment.
I love learning about the work that inspires my friends in the arts. Would you be willing to share some thoughts on some of the artwork you’ve been exposed to over the years that had an impact on your own work?
That’s a difficult question. Over the years, I have been influenced by several artistic styles. I find it difficult to recognize artistic influence in my own work but I see moments in time that reveal changes in my painting style. In college, I was influenced by my roommate. My first job at an architectural firm, I was influenced by the stylistic creativity of Charles Rennie MacKintosh. As an artist the influences have been more about the medium I work with. I like the contemporary work of Henry Isaacs and I have been told his work resembles mine, although I had not seen his work until 2010 when someone remarked about similarities. It told me my work was more consistent that I realized!
You and I first met each other at Barn Gallery as juried members of the Ogunquit Art Association (Maine’s Original Artists’ Group | est. 1928). Many of your paintings also reference Ogunquit-specific geography; Ogunquit Beach, Ogunquit River, Marginal Way, Perkins Cove? How has this town of Ogunquit played a role in your life as an artist?
I love Ogunquit. I love that it is a place for artists, that it is filled with creative people and more than that, Ogunquit is a beautiful habitat for nature & people to flourish. The moment I came to Ogunquit in 1988, I knew it was where I needed to be. It took many years to finally be accepted as a member of Ogunquit Art Association/Barn Gallery, so it meant a great deal to me. That was a moment, indeed.
Do you have a particular daily routine that helps you work? Where do you actually do the painting?
Usually I paint during the day. If I’m painting outside, I like late afternoon light. A lot of my painting is done inside. I spend many hours, days and even weeks working on a painting.
Is there anything new you’re experimenting with – processes, materials, themes, etc? What are you working on these days?
I had been working with a palette-knife for several years but recently have been unable to because of “overuse syndrome” of my left hand, which manipulates the palette-knife. So I am back to using my right hand for all painting. I work in oil, acrylic, collage, pastel and pen & ink.
What are your biggest challenges?
My biggest challenge is being recognized.
If you could go back to the beginning of your journey as an artist – what is the one piece of advice you’d give your former self?
Stay true to yourself.
Name another artist who is creating noteworthy work in Maine.
It can’t be only one! That’s just crazy! Ok… Jayne Adams.
Where can we see (and/or buy) more of your work?
Barn Gallery, Ogunquit ME; George Marshall Store Gallery, York, ME; Roux & Cyr International Fine Art Gallery, Portland, ME; NW Barrett Gallery, Portsmouth, NH; and Hole in the Wall Studioworks, Raymond, ME.
Learn More about Maine Artist, Madeleine P. Hopkins: mphopkinsstudio.com
Artwork by Maine Artist, Madeleine P. Hopkins
Three Boys Fishing; Oil; 14×11 
As It Ever Was; Oil; 48×24 
View at Marginal Way; Oil; 24×20 
Reflection; Oil; 24×20 
Marginal Way III; Oil; 24×24 
In Maine III; Oil; 24×20 
Dunes – Ogunquit; Oil; 24×24 
At Ogunquit II; Oil; 24×30
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[…] Corey. Peter Bela Mayer. Dennis Poirier. Janet Ledoux. Charles Edwin Lewis Green. William Burpee. Madeleine Hopkins. Emile Albert Gruppé. More. From all across the years, decades, and centuries. Too many to mention […]
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