The Trinidad Area Arts Council will hosted a premier exhibition featuring the travel
watercolors of internationally known artist, Eric Michaels. The
paintings document Michaels’ travels across four continents and
both hemispheres.
Michaels, a professional artist, maintains his residence and studio in
Trinidad. His credits include signature membership in such prestigious
organizations as the National Watercolor Society, the Pastel Society of
America and the Oil Painters of America, to name a few. He has
exhibited his watercolors at the Royal Watercolour Society in London; a
rare honor for a non-resident of the British Isles. His paintings hang
in private, corporate and museum collections throughout the world.
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of Eric Michaels' work is its
international flavor. The subject matter spans four continents and
both hemispheres. Painting in these various locations enables him to
achieve an understanding of local light conditions and to participate
in the native experience.
Michaels was born and raised in Illinois. As a young boy, he
cultivated an early appreciation for music and art. He spent a great
deal of time drawing sports figures and Disney characters, and studying
guitar with an old vaudeville banjo player. With the folk scene
booming in the sixties, Michaels paid his way through college teaching
guitar and performing in coffeehouses. After graduating with a B.F.A.
in art, his wanderlust got the best of him, so he grabbed his guitar
and took off across North America. For three years, he played clubs,
coffeehouses and universities from Alaska to Mexico. As the folk scene
ebbed in the seventies, Michaels decided to pursue a new musical
venue. He began studying classical guitar at the San Francisco
Conservatory of Music. In 1983, on a music tour through the southwest,
he and his wife passed through Santa Fe and decided to stay.
The size and strength of the Santa Fe art community surprised
Michaels, and within a year he decided to give up his music
performances to concentrate on his art. He did a small bit of
commercial illustration to help pay the bills, and, shortly
thereafter, had enough viable galleries to begin making a living in
fine art.
Michaels still loves to travel. His art has taken him to exotic
destinations in Africa, Europe, Central America and Indonesia. He also
loves to paint the rich culture and landscapes of the region
surrounding his home in Trinidad, Colorado.
In addition to being exhibited at the Royal Watercolour Society in
London Michaels has exhibited nine years in the Artists of America Show
in Denver, and is a regular exhibitor in the Great American Artists
Exhibition in Cincinnati. His paintings hang in private, corporate,
museum and state collections; including the Albuquerque Museum of Fine
Art, the Americana Museum, the Institute of American Indian Arts,
Phillips Petroleum, IBM, Honeywell-Sperry Inc., and the State
Collection of the Governor's Gallery, Santa Fe, NM.
For more information on Eric Michaels please visit
www.ericmichaelsfineart.com
