Inner Strength by Erik Otto
In addition to painting, Eric has designed and constructed large-scale installations, theater sets, retail storefronts, and independent film sets. Otto recently completed the acclaimed Artist-in-Residence program at Recology San Francisco and is committed to working with reclaimed paint and materials to produce work that is both expressive and conceptual.
Visually ambiguous, this work by Erik Otto is nevertheless a delightful springboard for the sort of thematic speculation that true appreciators of art long for and so seldom encounter these days.
The precarious fate of the structures (one actually enveloped by the swirling tide of blue) certainly implies or alludes to our own uncertain status in an indifferent world. The crucial motif, however, is the gleaming, diamond-like sphere within that colorful current. It resembles an eye - the eye of a storm, perhaps - but it has a certain "solar" quality that reminds one of that famous comment by the existentialist Albert Camus; the one in which the French writer affirmed that there was "an invincible summer" secreted and safe inside his soul.
Whatever your thought-sources may be, this pensive piece is sure to bring vibrance, and hopefully, conversation to your wall.