Eric LePape

After a maritime career punctuated by numerous travels and adventures on the open sea, I decided to return to my first passion: painting. I soaked in color from an early age with my feet in seaweed and a free hand to hold palette knives caked with cerulean blue and ultramarine. My early color palette quickly reflected the colors of the sea, so it’s no surprise that I spent most of my career at sea, on the ocean! I love the sea deeply. She represents all of human adventure; full of history, connecting peoples traditions and cultures. Connections are forged through a desire for discovery and exchange. The use of color is vital in my work. After mastering the foundations of painting, I use color, and the relation of tones to express my feelings. Color is a great tool; a means to create space and perspective. I also play with mass and line, positive and negative space, shadow and light. My technique matches well with my temperament. Using paint and palette knife, I create in the impasto style. The only way to master this technique is to immerse yourself in it! My technique leaves little time for reflection, and sometimes the palette knife work borders on violent. But this leaves little to chance and requires concentration. The result appears transparent due to my use of materials bonding with glazes and inlays. Landscapes are an extraordinary game; they may appear to open into infinity or may be constantly changing and renewing themselves. The subject deserves to be respected and dissected on its own before the viewer applies his/her own sensibilities to the experience. In the end, imperfections, intentions, and feeling are evident, and sometimes surprising. This is the paradox of art where “imperfection” meets “beauty”!