About Eric

Eric D Greene

Self Portrait in Conte Crayon

In the fall of 2008, I enrolled as a part-time student at Tidewater Community College’s Visual Arts Center. Initially taking Drawing 1, and an Intro to the Visual Arts class, I had in mind to work towards an Associates degree in Graphic Design. Since I worked full time as a web developer (and still currently do), I felt I needed to expand my skills in computer graphics. That degree in Graphic Design was not to be, however …

At some point during Drawing 1 class with Mark Miltz, the art spirit that I had kept bottled up since high school was unleashed. I went through a re-discovery process with my art, and continued on in the school. The next semester I took Drawing 2 and submitted a couple of pieces from that class to the annual student art show. I ended up winning an award in the show!

So why did I leave this talent behind? What caused me to put the pencils away in favor of guitars and bands and college and who-knows what else I have been blindly getting into over the years…? Well, I just can’t say for sure. What I did know by the end of that second semester, there was actually no question – I switched out of Graphic Design immediately and changed majors to Fine Arts. It was just meant to be that way. I felt like I had found the right path for myself, one that had always been there just waiting for me to get on board.

It’s 2010 and I am near completion of Painting 2 and Art History 2. Although I only have enough time to take 2 classes per semester, I am slowly but surely working my way towards that Associates in Fine Arts. I don’t know what else is in store for the future. I am happily employed by the Association for Research and Enlightenment, where I enjoy working as a web developer. There is a certain creativity I put into it … oh, and it also pays the bills! But I don’t know how far this art thing — this art spirit — will take me. I have a lot of questions and challenges ahead. Can I make it as an artist? Is there even any room in the art world for me? Who knows… I really don’t have a clue what’s next. Maybe it’s all up to me. All I do know for sure is that I love doing what I do and creating the art I create.

With each new piece I feel a growing confidence and discovery of what the art process is about. In my art, I try to capture the essence of a particular subject, rather than mimic exactly what is visually seen. It’s about evoking some kind of reaction from the viewer. Or, about waking up something dormant within, often by surprise. I am currently influenced by acrylic and mixed-media abstract artists such as Lisa Cyr, Kazuhiko Sano, Cynthia Von Buhler, and Nancy Reyner. I also am a fan of visionary artists such as Alex Grey, Martina Hoffman, and Pablo Amaringo. I have also recently discovered the incredible work of Buddhist artist Nick Dudka.

I highly recommend the following musicians:

I believe everyone on the planet should spend some time listening to Terence McKenna.