Eric Christensen
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ERIC CHRISTENSEN STYLE AND TECHNIQUE — Eric Christensen's unique approach to painting water color images bends the traditional concept of how a watercolor painting should look. By painting on Museum Board and using a higher concentration of Gum Arabic, Eric starts out with thin washes then builds meticulously to over 30 subsequent layers of paint. You can actually see the build-up of the paint layers when you look closely at his originals.
Eric's technique allows him to achieve much stronger colors and shadows than can be found with traditional watercolor art; it's actually more like painting with oil on a canvas. Christensen achieves his lifelike near photo-quality images through his genius for understanding the technical aspects of his subjects and his dedication to capturing an image as it truly exists.
His love of natural materials particularly flowers, fruits and vegetables also combine to make this possible. He possesses the stunning ability to paint the subtleties of light traveling through a flower petal or its reflection off a wine glass. Composition is one more factor that sets Christensen's paintings apart. Each painting is a study in the balance between texture, height and shape. The placement of items in his paintings must all make sense and be representative of a scene found in real life. A scene you might find in a kitchen, a wine cellar, or in the garden. Whatever the composition he decides to paint it must portray authenticity.
