I invite you to enter my alternate universe, a reimagined history of altered images from the earliest decades of photography. The people and places of my antique sources are real, but most are long forgotten, their stories faded into mystery. I alter and recombine the images into new scenes and new stories–hinted at, but never fully explained. I want the parts to look as if they have always been together, no matter how strange or even absurd their combined meaning might be. Supernatural and dream elements abound, so entering this universe can be an unsettling experience. Though I construct the images digitally, the finished artwork is tangible, layered, and three dimensional. I draw inspiration from an era when the boundaries between fine art, craft, and decoration were not so strongly drawn. Incorporating metal leaf, resin, digital prints, wooden panels, printers trays, and found objects, the artwork at times evokes religious iconography as well as turn of the century decorative arts. I repurpose classic themes from mythology and biblical story, seen through a distorted Victorian lens. The artwork often continues onto the back of the piece, where components of the front-facing image recombine to tell a hidden side of the story.
From an early age Eric loved to draw and craft things. His passion for art led him to spend two years in art school, right after he had finished a sensible college degree. After a run of several intense years of making art, he attended graduate school and launched a sensible professional career – and his artistic spark dimmed and all but died.
coincided with a new hobby of collecting 19th century photography, and quickly the two became creatively intertwined.