Eric Goldstein SCA
When talking about seasons, winter is hardly as romanticized and glorified as spring or autumn. Yet, it still has doubtless magnetism that attracts and excites artists like Eric Goldstein.
Eric’s primary intent is “to capture the pondering presence we get from nature, not as it appears but as it feels to experience: incomprehensible, indescribable, and often very chaotic.” Therefore, his choice of abstract visuality is an entirely logical avenue of expression. The featured compositions were created using various materials: from traditional, like acrylic paint, to experimental, like sand and plaster. Although they follow the well-familiar painting format, the artworks are closer to decorative panels with a distinct monumental flavour. The latter is achieved with the noticeably large scale of the pieces. The irregular rows of horizontal and vertical stripes are intertwined into the quilt-like stream, giving the sense of turbulent dynamism.
The rich dynamism of Eric’s compositions is perceived in strong contrast with the static freeze that is typically associated with Winter. Even in this seasonal period of chilling silence, the artist finds subtle movement—water under the ice, frosty night air, or silver morning light. There is no single figurative element in his compositions, but one easily recognizes the atmosphere of natural landscapes. The painter himself claims to be inspired by the palette, geometry and lines of the west coast of Canada, where he lives. Abstraction is inherently connected with nature, offering us its quintessence.
The collage approach to structuring the images reminds us of an outstanding abstractionist of the 20th century Paul Klee. Klee viewed shape not as form but as a process. Aligned with Klee’s vision, Eric applies it on both compositional and coloristic levels. Fluidity and kinetic energy of the surrounding world is translated into a shimmering flow of lines and splashes of colour. In the artist’s interpretation, cold loses its motionlessness, proving to be not the absence of life but one of its most delicate and, at the same time, powerful forms of existence.
Eric Goldstein is a mixed-media artist, born in New York, U.S.A and currently residing in Vancouver, Canada. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Rhode Island School of Design in 1979. Eric has worked for 40 years in the film industry. Over the past 30 years, he has collaborated on over 100 film projects as a Director of Photography. He has received Eastman Kodak Award, Excellence in Cinematography, and the Leo Awards for Best Cinematography for TV Movie. Eric is a member of the Society of Canadian Artists, Federation of Canadian Artist Vancouver Chapter, and Federation of Canadian Artist Okanagan Chapter. He has participated in various art shows since 2010.
Eric Goldstein is the Bronze Artist of the ArtAscent Cold call for artists. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Cold issue.
