San Francisco artist Eric Zener is fascinated by water. “When we’re around water or in water,” he told The Morning News recently, “there’s a universal sense of calm, a personal baptism. It’s cleansing in so many ways: psychologically, physically. Water’s a powerful force. It’s both friend and foe. At the beach someone could be drowning, but a hundred yards away people are having the time of their lives.” Which could also describe how a lot of artists feel about painting water — its incredibly challenging to get just right.

Many of Zener’s watery images were inspired by a trip to Spain’s Costa Brava where people from all walks of life — rich and poor, young and old, use the sea for different purposes. Both below the surface and above it, his paintings are filled with people on personal journeys. Solitary and looking inward, his subjects wrestle with demons, contemplate life’s big questions, and prepare for renewal. Life below the surface is a lonely one. “Some [paintings] are very, very introspective escapism,” he told Art Business News in 2004. “Some are just the joy, the pool full of people in this temporary oasis. The 10 minutes when you hit the water for the first time and the smell of sun tan lotion hits your nose. You really don’t think about anything for those first few minutes.”

His latest work has been focused on sleeping, another solitary act. You can see more of Zener’s oil paintings below, or check out his website for more info.

metamorphosis

vanishing point

a matter of perspective

relinquishing

man with a choice

blue gaze

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