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Eric Paukst(aitis)
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My Story
Eric is a late-in-life, self-taught artisan/artist. “I always wanted to be an artist but life took a more practical turn”. Eric worked as a consultant hydrogeologist doing his small part to protect our groundwater resources. While working in the midst nature, he gained a true appreciation of the beauty and interconnectedness of our natural systems.
“I have recently retired and it is now my time to create. The artistic flame has never died. But how to express myself? I wasn't born with the innate ability of a “natural” artist nor do I have formal artistic training. Along the way I have dabbled in photography, sketching, drafting, digital mapping, laser etching, and woodworking, picking up an eclectic mix of skills. After a few local art courses and a lot of YouTube videos I was ready to put my set of skills to use. I was ready to create!”
The Process
After a lot of experimentation I developed a unique process combining a number of my skills. While experimenting with woodblock printing I recognized the beauty, not only of the prints, but of the blocks themselves. I started developing designs specifically for transfer to wood panels and thus my series of “quasi-3-D paintings” was born. My inspiration: the beautiful Oregon coast. I moved to Otter Rock on the central Oregon coast several years ago and was awed by the natural beauty. I have tried to capture essence of the coast and man's relationship to it in my work. My initial ventures are primarily photographic in origin. My photos are simplified, reduced to their basics, and transferred to wood panels using an engraving laser. They are then hand painted on a specially prepared surface. As I continue to experiment and develop my art, I am striving to capture more of the “feel” of life on the coast by combining photography and hand-drawn renderings to develop a truly personal style. We will see where the experiment takes us.
Artistic Statement
It has been said:
A Craftsman creates with his hands,
An Artisan creates with his hands and his mind, and
An Artist creates with his hands, his mind, and his heart.
I am an Artisan striving to become that Artist.
Eric is a late-in-life, self-taught artisan/artist. “I always wanted to be an artist but life took a more practical turn”. Eric worked as a consultant hydrogeologist doing his small part to protect our groundwater resources. While working in the midst nature, he gained a true appreciation of the beauty and interconnectedness of our natural systems.
“I have recently retired and it is now my time to create. The artistic flame has never died. But how to express myself? I wasn't born with the innate ability of a “natural” artist nor do I have formal artistic training. Along the way I have dabbled in photography, sketching, drafting, digital mapping, laser etching, and woodworking, picking up an eclectic mix of skills. After a few local art courses and a lot of YouTube videos I was ready to put my set of skills to use. I was ready to create!”
The Process
After a lot of experimentation I developed a unique process combining a number of my skills. While experimenting with woodblock printing I recognized the beauty, not only of the prints, but of the blocks themselves. I started developing designs specifically for transfer to wood panels and thus my series of “quasi-3-D paintings” was born. My inspiration: the beautiful Oregon coast. I moved to Otter Rock on the central Oregon coast several years ago and was awed by the natural beauty. I have tried to capture essence of the coast and man's relationship to it in my work. My initial ventures are primarily photographic in origin. My photos are simplified, reduced to their basics, and transferred to wood panels using an engraving laser. They are then hand painted on a specially prepared surface. As I continue to experiment and develop my art, I am striving to capture more of the “feel” of life on the coast by combining photography and hand-drawn renderings to develop a truly personal style. We will see where the experiment takes us.
Artistic Statement
It has been said:
A Craftsman creates with his hands,
An Artisan creates with his hands and his mind, and
An Artist creates with his hands, his mind, and his heart.
I am an Artisan striving to become that Artist.
