About the Artist

How did this start?

Hoppy's Garden Art has been making artisan spinning copper garden sprinklers since 2006. Each sprinkler is handcrafted using polished copper and beautiful blown glass. 

Steve Hopkins, a.k.a. Hoppy, has a history of artists in his family. Ancestors include Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Canadian artists Frances Ann Hopkins and Elisabeth Hopkins (another Hoppy) author of The Painted Cougar, a children's picture book.

Growing up on Vashon Island in Puget Sound, Washington, Steve was always messin' around being creative, and played with many kinds of media, from pencil, pen and ink, batik, ceramics, photography, woodworking and more.

After graduating from WSU with a BA in Advertising and a minor in Fine Arts, for many years Steve didn't really have a consistent hands-on creative outlet. Then in the early 2000's he began making beautiful cedar and copper garden trellises and selling them at his local farmers market. After a time customers began asking for a certain spiral copper trellis to be made into a sprinkler, and being inspired by Dreamsprayer, Steve began designing and creating copper garden sprinklers, which his customers loved! Good thing he listened.

He eventually further enhanced his original designs by incorporating copper spirals and colorful glass balls, and began selling his garden art sprinklers at home, garden art and flower shows, and street festivals throughout the Pacific Northwest. In 2010 and again in 2019, Steve was the featured artist at Sorticulture, the area's largest garden art and plant show. The Everett Herald newspaper has a profile here. 

Steve's other interests include summertime backpacking trips in the Cascade Mountains, golfing, skiing, live music, running half marathons (20+ of them since 2015) and time with friends. Steve and his son live in Bothell, WA. His day job is with a non-profit organization.