
An Eric Wert’s early paintings the backgrounds were often textiles he found in a fabric store. The patterns and colors would complement his still lifes. Then he met Marci Rae McDade, who has an MFA in fiber and material studies, became editor of Fiberarts magazine, and then editor of the Surface Design Association Journal. She is now his wife.
“Marci’s a great influence,” Wert admits. “When you go to a museum, you focus on what appeals to you. For me that’s Dutch paintings. She dragged me to see textiles, and I gained a new appreciation of them. There are many parallels. The optical mixing of colors was developed by the Flemish masters as they wove together threads of different colors.
“Today the textile collections of museums are online with high-resolution images so I have access to the greatest textiles in the world,” he continues. “I browse and then download images. When I’m working on a painting I leave the background kind of simple and wait for a connection to merge— theme, color, composition. The background is an equal partner in my paintings. It’s just as interesting and worthy of inspection as anything in the foreground.”
I mention to him the leaves in Cherries, especially the lone yellowed leaf, seem to pick up the weave of the fabric behind them. He responds, “That’s one of the things I like—discovering connections. It would be easy to set everything up and work from a photograph. I could make all the decisions in the set-up. As I work over months, discoveries start to emerge. It’s intuitive. It’s the magic of painting. The basic data is there in a high-resolution photograph. The challenge is to leave space in the painting for connections to emerge.”
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Brilliant Blooms-Ausgabe von American Art Collector.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Brilliant Blooms-Ausgabe von American Art Collector.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden

Portraits from the Past
In Phillip Thomas’ new show at RJD Gallery, Currents: Threads of Black History, the artist explores faces from the past, and how those faces have moved through history.

Out of the Past
Tony De Luz’s paintings call back to the past, when neon signs would shine down on road-weary motorists traveling on Route 66. Other subjects include old train engines and classic cars from the mid-20th century.

Innovation & Tradition
The Palm Beach Show returns with another elegant event featuring a range of fine art.

Making an Impression
The American Impressionist Society hosts its annual showcase of impressionistic artwork this February.

Modern Classics
A new online exhibition hosted by 33 Contemporary, in collaboration with 33PA, explores the idea of both modernday and classical artworks.

THE ART LOVER'S GUIDE TO COLLECTING FINE ART IN CALIFORNIA
The state of California has a deeply rooted history within fine art.

A Cherished Tradition
The Tubac Festival of the Arts celebrates its 66th year serving the community and beyond with fine art and crafts.

MYTH AND Mystery
Grand and epic themes of antiquity are given new life and meaning in the powerful paintings of Angela Gram.

COLLAGING CONNECTION
A doctor (re)turns to art to reunite her body, mind and spirit.

THE ART LOVER'S GUIDE TO COLLECTING FINE ART IN FLORIDA
Albert Ernest “A.E.” Backus (1906-1990) was a prominent Florida landscape artist known not only for his creative legacy but for his altruistic spirit and fostering the arts in his community, regardless of class and race.