JANUARY 25, 2018 // 13
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in portrayal. Beyond those
skills, Leonardo created
stories, emotions and subtle
movement on his canvases.
He often applied 30 or more
layers of thin oil glaze and
created depth and subtlety.
Wiegardt paints more
like a French Impressionist.
He is not a linear painter
(he avoids sharp edges),
and like those Frenchmen,
he rarely uses black (“a
black, dead shadow tends
to look more like a black
hole in our painting rather
than a shadow”). He draws
definition through a series
of brushstrokes using dabs
of paint, adroitly laid, one
next to another. “Opposite
colors juxtaposed energize
each other.” He understands
that two strokes of compli-
mentary color can create a
stronger statement than a
flatter, single application
of paint. In many respects,
Wiegardt is an impression-
ist.
In his latest book, “Paint-
ing without a Net: Thinking
Like an Artist,” Wiegardt
defines much of his painter’s
philosophy in short engag-
ing essays. He introduces his
style and the freedom that
defines his work or oeuvre.
He explains how an artist
must remain on the move.
How that artist must be open
to new ideas and personal
growth. Artists may listen to
the whims of their patrons,
but, ultimately, they must
follow their own muse.
Sunrise on the bay
A windy morning in
January finds Eric and his
father, Dobbie, huddled be-
hind a duck blind on Willapa
Bay. When mallards or pin-
tails flutter and then descend
into a nest of decoys, the
men rise in one unimpeded
movement, aim and shoot
at the colorful darting birds.
Wiegardt came home, not
for financial rewards, but
because he was drawn to the
tidelands of Willapa Bay, to
the swollen gray skies and
an ever-changing Northwest
COURTESY WIEGARDT STUDIO GALLERY
Eric Wiegardt’s “Blue Tablecloth”
landscape. He remains a
master of portraying the
racing cloud. Let it also be
said, he knows storm. And
he loves duck hunting.
Along with his infatua-
tion for the boats, dredges
and oyster scows in Nacotta
Harbor, Wiegardt finds
solace and subject matter in
a walk along the shoreline,
a trek to Leadbetter State
Park, or another along the
sandy beaches of the Long
Beach Peninsula. He digs
clams with a passion, and
paints them, too, in shim-
mering still-life expressions.
A slow-brewing passion
defines this artist. Even in
his recent excursions into
abstraction, he poetically
touches upon local time and
place, upon the colors and
inspiration of Southwest
Washington. An observer
might find abstract sketches
that hint at dawn and dusk
on Willapa Bay, at brilliant
sunsets descending over
the ocean, or at the intense
hues of rhododendrons that
enhance local landscapes
and his paintings. Wiegardt
is always at one with nature.
Genius
The word “genius’’ is
overused. Certainly nobody
would argue that the word
applies to a Leonardo or Mi-
chelangelo, but with many
artists, the accolades flow
too easily. Perhaps Wiegardt
has earned the distinction.
His awards and national vis-
ibility in the art world might
attest to this.
But more appreciated
might be the vigor and
commitment of this fine,
modern-day painter. Wie-
gardt’s faculty reminds one
of a youthful Claude Monet
in both passion and distinc-
tion. One can be equally
impressed by his dedication
to painting and his affection
for this place we call home.
Make no mistake: Eric
Wiegardt is a rare talent, and
his painting will ever be a
tour de force.
Wiegardt will be the
featured artist at Astoria’s
RiverSea Gallery beginning
with the town’s Second Sat-
urday Art Walk on Feb. 10.
His show will run through
Tuesday, March 6.
He will have a signing of
his recent book, “Painting
without a Net: Thinking Like
an Artist,” at RiverSea Gal-
lery during the Art Walk.
Another book signing
will be held Saturday, March
10, at the Shelburne Inn in
Seaview, Washington. CW