Eric Blum

Eric Blum’s work is psychological in nature. His paintings channel the sensation of seeing something from the corner of the eye that proves elusive – what Blum refers to as “the irretrievable glimpse” – and leads to uncertain and oddly poetic associations. The ambiguity of what is real, what is imagined, and what is desired is the space he seeks in his work.

Blum’s paintings contain implied shapes couched in an abstract world. His methodology contributes to this sense of incertitude: he marries disparate images in transparent layers of ink and wax-infused silk, and he prefers to work in a state of willful blindness. In a sense, these works are made in the dark and are meant to be felt peripherally rather than looked at, though their tactile exterior may contradict this cause by soliciting closer inspection. Everything always turns out to be something else.

Born and raised in California and currently living in New York, Blum is a recipient of grants from the Pollack-Krasner Foundation and New York Foundation for the Arts and has exhibited widely throughout the United States. His work has been included in the Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati, OH; Kresge Art Museum, MI; Knoxville Art Museum, TN; Montclair Art Museum, NJ; and Albright-Knox Gallery, NY.

What would you be doing if you were not an artist?

Answer: If not for painting, I would be drumming.

Coffee or tea?

Answer: Mostly tea.

What kind of physical activities do you like?

Answer: Dancing and basketball

What music do you put on to get motivated:

Answer: Ambient techno

When and where do you like to create?

Answer: In the studio, in the the wee hours.

Website: https://www.ericblum.net