Eric, is a self taught artist. He has been drawing and painting pretty much his whole life, in one capacity or another. He has studied all kinds of techniques and styles over the years and has incorporated the ones he likes into his work. He is always in the process of learning to improve his skill . He prefers realism because he enjoys the challenge of trying to make a painting of something look, well,...realistic. He will bring a painting to a certain level of what can be called photo-realistic and when it stops being enjoyable trying to capture all the bits of detail in light and color, the painting is finished. In most cases, the details that get left out are just as important as the details that get put in.
"Why paintings of life's little indulgences?"
Eric decided to create paintings that captured the essence of those moments when you have time to relax. Who doesn't look forward to those times when your work is done for the day, your bills and problems are set aside for a while and you indulge in a little time for yourself and friends and family. There's a nostalgia he associates with a fine cigar and a drink. They remind him of good times and connecting with people he cares about. When you're smoking a cigar, sipping wine or a drink, it gives you an opportunity to unplug for a while and when you're with friends it creates good old fashioned, face to face conversation for at least a few hours.
The paintings are meant to cause the viewer to intuit a larger story than what's on the canvas, or evoke good memories of their own.
