I am a classical figurative artist that fuses my life experiences with art history. My paintings are a declaration to the dramatic power of traditional, figurative art. The origin of my inspiration does not lie in academia, rather my past as a child surrounded by the vivid paintings I saw each Sunday during church. I don’t aspire to simply paint a figure; I paint a moment, a human experience, and an emotional dialogue that transcends culture, religion and time itself.

I use oil-based pigments, applying them to wood panels that I prepare. My chiaroscuro technique is based on 17th Century masters like Caravaggio and Artemisia Gentileschi. I paint fast and direct in an alla prima style over a grisaille, then with layers of glazes I finish with a rich varnished surface of richness and depth.

I graduated with a B.F.A. in painting and an art history minor from Pennsylvania State University in 1995 and spent a summer semester abroad in Todi, Italy, where I studied directly from the masterworks of 17th Century artists. In 2003 I was honored to represent the United States at the Florence Bienniale. In 2010 I won the Chairman’s Award for the Sixth International Art Renewal Center competition out of 1700 submissions from over 30 countries worldwide.

My work has been featured at the Salmagundi Art Club, The National Arts Club, Allentown Art Museum, Fort Wayne Museum of Art and the State Museum of Pennsylvania. Recently my art has appeared in the pages of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune, Victorian Homes and American Artist Magazine. My work is in the collections of Howard Tullman, The Trenton Museum of Art and numerous churches and private collections.

To see more about Eric's Dante's Inferno Painting Series go to his website.