* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.
Eric Wert lives and works in Portland, OR. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from Northwestern University.
Eric’s background as a scientific illustrator is apparent in his astonishing attention to detail. But the difference between sheer illustration and fine art is inspiration. Merely to depict something in great detail certainly takes skill but to transcend technical virtuosity one needs to have something to say or to be inspired.
Eric intends to shed new light on a tradition that began with Dutch still life. Wert literally turns that tradition upside down. In his paintings, we see bouquets of flowers, but they have been pushed blossom side down into the vase, causing petals to scatter. Instead of sheer beauty, we begin to see a story. Wert’s accomplishment is to combine technique with humor and narrative.
