Eric Wert

Gallery Affiliations: William Baczek Fine Arts, Gallery Henoch, Wendt Gallery, Miller Gallery

Region: Pacific Coast

I think of my still life paintings as passive-aggressive: they are intended to be both sweet and destructive at the same time. They have the components of a traditional still life but the subjects are smashed or upended. This gives a narrative suggestion - the aftermath of a jilted lover or a domestic disturbance. They're vanitas paintings, not just about the transitory nature of life but of relationships as well.

For my portraits of individual flowers the goal in each painting is to exaggerate the details that I find most interesting. At first glance, these subjects can seem innocuous, but upon closer observation they begin to appear otherworldly. Each subject has its own unique characteristics and bizarre peculiarities.