Eric Goldberg

Eric Goldberg was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1946. He studied at Parsons School of Design and The New School for Social Research before receiving his BFA from New York University and his Masters from New Mexico University. He was founding Chairman of the Art/Design Department of Quinebaug Valley Community College in Connecticut from 1986-2003. Goldberg is a master printmaker working in etching and aquatint, with some of his images printed in multi-plate color. His passion for drawing can be seen in the intricate details of his works and in the subtle, complexity of his patterns. He is a member of the American Print Alliance, The Society of American Graphic Artists (SAGA), Los Angeles Printmakers Society, The Printmakers Network of Southern New England and The Boston Printmakers, where he is Secretary. His prints have been exhibited extensively in the United States & abroad. He has received awards from The Society of American Graphic Artists: The Newport Museum of Art; American Color Print Society & Davidson National Print and Drawing Exhibition. His work is in the collections of; Aetna Life & Casualty Corp., Hartford, CT., California State Univ., San Diego, Ca., General Electric Corporation, Museum of Art, Science and Industry, Bridgeport, CT., Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM., Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan, Yale University, New Haven, CT., and others.

Artist Statement:
"My imagination is fueled by the world around me, by places and people and the thoughts and feelings they evoke. I make images that express these concepts and emotions. I want my images to convey both the natural world and deeper truths, which are wordless and need to be expressed through metaphor.

Drawing is the method in which my image making begins and through which it evolves. Whether the source of the work is from direct observation, a photo I have taken or from my imagination, it is always initially expressed as a drawing. Ultimately, the work may become an etching or a painting but at its core is always drawing. Drawing has a tactile directness that connects the mind and the hand. It is a two-way connection where the drawing evokes thought and thought evokes drawing. An unintentional gesture of the hand can change the concept in a direction that the mind alone would not have traveled.

Etching on a copper plate is, by its very nature, a process with many steps from its beginning through its completion. It is a process which is well suited to my way of working. I am able to develop a drawing which evolves as it proceeds.  Values and forms must be decided, resolved and executed during the drawing. Patterns, made from lines, cross lines and stipples become spontaneously obvious to me while I work. Patterns and values can be built and enhanced by the layering of successive etches. When the plate is inked and printed, the inverted image becomes an entity onto itself; the whole greater than the sum of its parts.”