A Passion For W. J. Hopkinson
Every art collector dreams of uncovering a hidden gem—a talent that history has undervalued, yet whose work shines with undeniable brilliance. For Mark Skeffington, co-founder of FineArtCollector.ca and long-time collector living in Niagara, Ontario, that moment arrived unexpectedly with the discovery of W.J. Hopkinson. What began as curiosity evolved into deep admiration, and ultimately, into a mission: to champion a Canadian artist whose contributions had been largely overlooked. Mark’s passion for Hopkinson’s work became the driving force behind an entire website dedicated to preserving and promoting the artist’s remarkable legacy.
Vincent Price admired W.J. Hopkinson
One notable admirer of Canadian artist William John Hopkinson’s paintings was the American actor Vincent Price, best known for starring in dozens of gothic horror movies. Vincent Price (1911-1993) penned a letter to W.J. Hopkinson on the occasion of the Newmarket,...
Media Coverage
By Mark Skeffington The launch of the W.J. Hopkinson website has been covered by the media. The Haliburton County Echo newspaper published a story about the new online art gallery on Sept. 6, called Long lost paintings of Haliburton landscapes find a home. Haliburton...
Finding W.J. Hopkinson in England
By Mark Skeffington This story about discovering W.J. Hopkinson comes from England. About 10 years ago, Hilary Cooper was stopped at a traffic light in Carnforth, Lancashire, outside a charity shop, when a painting in the shop window caught her eye. "I decided to go...
Discovering Artist W.J. Hopkinson
By Mark Skeffington My discovery of Canadian artist William John Hopkinson happened by chance. A woman who offered to sell me a Tom Roberts silkscreen – a copy of Road to the Village printed by Sampson-Matthews Ltd. in the 1950s – asked if I wanted to see a painting...