Eric Christensen is one of the best realistic watercolor artists of all time. He is known for his photorealistic techniques in the watercolor domain. Most of his paintings outline the unique texture of this medium. We can also call his paintings as a collection of “wine glass photos”. Yes, I mean it!
Wine glass is the best subject for most of his paintings. He is one of the great masters of American watercolor techniques. His technique is often a matter of question. It is known that he use several soft layers to polish his paintings to achieve the realistic outlook.
Eric Christensen Biography
He started his professional career in 1992. He is a self-taught artist who invented a unique style of watercolor painting which resulted in the creation of exceptionally detailed works which even compete with photographs. This “wine country artist” is in fact the only watercolor artist who achieves realistic paintings with standard colors. After starting his career as an artist, he opened his own gallery in California. But to devote himself to the art of painting, he closed the gallery and concentrated on “wine glass” art.
His technique is exceptional and simple. He starts with a single wash and then creates 30 layers over the initial wash to attain the desired results. Most of his paintings look like oil paintings on canvas. There is often a perfect balance between light, texture and colors. His painting technique was achieved after years of experience. It requires lot of patience and skill to achieve a high level of realism. The notable point is use of a tough medium like watercolor.
Check out some of his famous paintings here:
Eric Christensen Realistic Watercolor Paintings
Hello Eric!
Love love your work! I would love to be able to paint the way you do! You are truly a Master in watercolor! Is there a book that you’d recommend for me to research?
Thanks,
Cisco
This requires a lot of patience as seen in the clip. Realism with water color is also quite interesting.