Artist Statement: My work explores the touchstones of life, examining the emotional and intellectual response to events that affect my life. I address abuse, death, the ephemeral, greed and my ability to relinquish or take control. ​I develop sculptures and installations using glass, cement, video, ice, steel and readymade objects. There are Platonic and existential aspirations that drive my work. I recognize that my work initially appears very simple in its presentation, but my sculptures present very complex ideas. The need to express my life experiences is what drives my creative process. I develop contemplative works that rely on light and shadows to elicit an emotional response. Biography: Eric received his Masters of Fine Arts with a concentration in glass and sculpture from the University of Texas at Arlington. He is a winer of a 2018 International Stanislav Libensky Award and has received scholarships from Pilchuck Glass School, Penland School of Craft, the Joan Mitchell Foundation and received a Visionary Scholarship from the Art Alliance for Contemporary Art. He has studied under Gene Koss, Mitchell Gaudet Aesa Bjork, Ben Wright, Justin Ginsberg, Dave Walters, to name a few. He completed an artist-in-residency with the Washington School of Glass and assisted glass artist Tim Tate. His work has shown in exhibitions at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington, National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia, New Orleans Museum of Art, Nave Museum in Victoria, Texas and Meadows Museum in Shreveport, Louisiana and at various exhibitions in New Orleans, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin and Philadelphia. Eric taught Sculpture and Sand Casting Glass at the University of Texas at Arlington. He has been invited to complete an artist-in-residency with glass artist Sylvia Levenson in Italy. Eric has curated the “Texas Contemporary Glass” exhibition at the Nave Museum in Victoria, Texas and at Artspace in Shreveport, Louisiana and curated several exhibitions throughout the gulf south. Eric spent the early part of his life in New Orleans, Louisiana. The elegance and decadence of the city has had a profound effect on him and his artwork. Initially, he worked in mixed media, photography and painting and discovered glass and sculpture through his friendship with local artists. During his years in the city he developed artwork and was included in several exhibitions. He received degrees in Broadcast Journalist and Marketing from Loyola University. Eric’s early years were spent working as a writer for WVUE News, as the Executive Director of Delta Festival Ballet and as the owner of his own advertising agency, Hess Marketing, for twenty years. Twelve years ago he sold his company and he began training with glass artist Mitchell Gaudet and then continued his education with two years of glass related coursework at Tulane University under Gene Koss, Jeffrey Stembom and Weston Lambert. In 2012 he received a scholarship to the MFA program at the University of Texas at Arlington and graduated with honors. He is presently the CEO and Artistic Director of Sanctuary Arts School and Studio in Shreveport, Louisiana.