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My name is Eric Alexander Santoli and I'm a painter and teacher. I'm a 2014 BFA graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and a 2013 certificate recipient of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In 2024, I received my MA in Studio Art from the Florence Academy of Art.
In May of 2021, I was awarded the Versailles Foundation's prestigious Munn Fellowship Artist Residency Award. For this Fellowship, I lived as Artist-in-Residence at Claude Monet's house and gardens in Giverny, France from May until August of 2023. I am represented by Martin House Gallery and Cimarron Song Gallery. I am also proud to be a brand ambassador for Natural Pigments and an affiliate artist with Rosemary & Co Artists' Brushes. I am currently developing an instructional painting and travel program titled, Eric En Plein Air™ for American Public Television (APT). In addition to painting, I enjoy being outdoors, gardening, reading, writing, traveling, skateboarding and riding my Triumph Bonneville T100. |
Photo by Sarah Flannery Photography
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In Monet's Garden - Photo by M. Jean Gaumy
At the Florence Academy of Art, Italy - Photo by Daniel Chang
Artist's Statement
"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 ideas and methodology of impressionism, but I find that 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."