Anyone who has been walking or snowshoeing this winter on the trails of the Nelson Preserve, near Flaggy Meadow Road, has probably noticed the whimsical paintings of a rooster and an owl which someone has installed on some land near the main trailhead.

That someone is Tim Hofmann, a local artist who resides with his wife and children in a house just outside the land trust property.

Hofmann describes his style as Folk Americana. He says his latest round of inspiration came last June, when he saw a number of homes in the Lincoln County area where homemade lighthouses and similar wooden pieces were being used as lawn decorations. Hofmann and his family saw these whimsical creations while they were driving home after visiting the Boothbay Botanical Garden to see the giant troll installation.

Hofmann cited other influences, such as the metal creations of Gorham sculptor Chris Newcomb, whose whimsical works can be seen in front of Newcomb’s home on Robie Street, as well as seeing a number of outdoor sculptures which are visible in a field next to the Hearn Road in Scarborough.

Feeling inspired to work with wood, he first built square canvases from wooden boards, then started to experiment with cutting out various shapes with a jigsaw. He created and painted a four foot rooster as a commission for someone in New Hampshire. Hofmann decided to suspend the rooster head from a tree near the land trust trail that starts near his home, to allow it to become more weathered from exposure to the winter weather. He currently plans to install the rooster at the client’s home in the spring.

Similarly, Hofmann’s barn owl creation was inspired by an actual barn owl that he saw near his home. Hofmann says he is considering adding other artworks to his outdoor display, especially once the rooster is moved to its new location in New Hampshire.

Hofmann has been a multimedia artist for 25 years. Prior to that, he studied print-making, drawing, sculpture, and painting at the University of Maine at Augusta. Hofmann has also traveled around the country quite a bit over the years and has had exhibitions in places as distant as Santa Cruz CA, as well as in more nearby locations such as Monhegan Island, Maine.