Eric Santoli

"As a painter, my goal is to give viewers of my work a feeling that they can’t get by any other means. I paint works in oil and watercolor, working directly from nature; one of my motivations to work from life is to create my own memories, which I record in paint. Each painting becomes a key which unlocks a memory of a specific moment. Many of my works are painted with speed and spontaneity in order to capture these moments. I love painting en plein air (outdoors), but I also have an affinity for portraiture and figurative work. I enjoy studying whatever catches my eye regardless of subject matter; I especially enjoy the challenge of rendering various textures, surfaces and reflections to create an illusion. I am well versed in art history and have a deep respect for artists of the past who have inspired me, many of whom combined academic and impressionistic ideas. I am fascinated by the methods of impressionism, but I find they work best when applied to a solid foundation of atelier training. With oils, I like exploring paint quality from thin and fluid to thick (impasto) and textured. I want viewers to see my work in person and to respond to each brushstroke. I personally love going to museums and seeing artists’ brushstrokes in person because it makes me feel like I have a direct connection with the moment that they created the painting. I think of painting as an alchemical meditation and as a way of appreciating the moment; I want to capture that moment of light and color as best as I can with paint."

• The Florence Academy of Art (July 2021 – *2023)
*MA in Studio Art Anticipated.
• University of Pennsylvania (August 2010 - May 2014).
BFA Received 2014.
• Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (August 2009 - May 2013).
Certificate Received 2013: Painting major and Drawing minor.

• Versailles Foundation and Fondation Monet: Munn Fellowship Artist Residency Award, (May - Aug. 2023). Lived as Artist-in-Residence at Claude Monet's estate in Giverny, France.
• Brand Ambassador for Natural Pigments
• Artist Affiliate with Rosemary & Co Artists' Brushes

• Adjunct Professor - Bergen Community College
• Instructor - The Ridgewood Community School
• Tutor - ArtisTravel International Art Workshops

•Just Plein Summertime Exhibition - Huse Skelly Gallery, June 19th - 24th, 2021
• Watercolor & Mixed Media Exhibition - Alfa Art Gallery, Fall 2018

Diego Velázquez (1599 - 1660)
Johannes Vermeer (1632 - 1675)
William Bouguereau (1825 - 1905)
Claude Monet (1840 - 1926)
John Singer Sargent (1856 - 1925)
Anders Zorn (1860 - 1920)
Joaquín Sorolla (1863 - 1923)
Hayao Miyazaki (1941- )

impressionist, en plein air, figurative, flowers, oil painting, landscape