In 1962 Peter Hopper assumed the Presidency of Hughes-Owens Ltd., a large Canadian company involved in engineering, drafting & art materials distribution. Hopper, who had a passion for painting & drawing as a young man, was drawn to the artists’ materials industry by this zeal for fine arts. The company prospered under his direction & further fostered his passion & love for the art material trade.
During one of his many business trips abroad, Peter met Mr. Thoru Yoshimura, President & Chairman of Holbein Art Materials from Osaka, Japan. At this time, Holbein was a well established & respected manufacturer of artists’ supplies in Japan, but was not well represented in America. Peter was so impressed with the quality of the Holbein product line that in 1977 he left Hughes-Owens & started Hopper-Koch the exclusive North American distributor of all Holbein Products.
The company changed its name to HK Holbein in 1980 to more closely identify the company with its primary product line. Peter’s wife, Frances, along with Barbara Mackay, Vice President of HK Holbein Canada & Danny Arseneault, Canadian National Sales Manager were essential in helping Peter establish Holbein as a prominent line in North America.
Today, the Hopper family continues its dedication to providing the American artist with the finest in Japanese color & supplies. Two of Peter’s sons, Douglas (President) & Timothy (Executive Vice President), run HK Holbein & maintain the continued close ties with Osaka, while Peter remains active as the Chairman of HK Holbein.
Wet Paint stocks the full range of Holbein’s artists’ oil color, artists’ watercolor paint, Irodori artists’ watercolor, Duo water soluble oil color, Acryla gouache, oil & soft pastels & a number of other fine accessories.
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· Established 1976 · Creative Supplies for Creative People 
