OM.2024.126 - Eric Breish - USA

OM.2024.126 - Eric Breish - USA - Highs and Lows - collage on panel - 8 x 8 inches - Visual Poetry and Color

 Eric Breish is a San Antonio-based contemporary artist recognized for his abstract paintings on metal that blur the line between two-dimensional fine art and three-dimensional sculpture. Born in Houston, Texas in 1979, Breish utilizes a highly specialized, self-taught technique that transforms industrial metals into living, luminous fields of shifting light and color. [1, 2, 3]

Background & Early Creative Roots

Before dedicating himself fully to fine art, Breish led a diverse professional life that heavily influenced his disciplined, bold approach to creativity. [1, 2]

• Military Service: Upon graduating high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at age 18, moving to San Diego, California. He completed his service in 2001 as an honorably discharged and decorated Sergeant. [1, 2]
• Entertainment Industry: He later moved to Florida to attend Full Sail University, graduating as Salutatorian in 2005 with an Associate degree in Recording Arts and a Bachelor's degree in Entertainment Business. [1, 2]
• Action Sports Design: Returning to San Diego after graduation, he worked for a firm designing apparel and accessories for action sports powerhouses like Billabong and Hurley. These early formatting years firmly planted his design and visual instincts. [1, 2]

Technique & "Holographic" Style

Breish's signature style heavily relies on the strategic interplay of natural and electrical light against metallic canvas backdrops. []

• Substrates: He works almost exclusively on heavy, industrial sheets of aluminum, copper, or steel.
• Directional Etching: Using specialized tools, he meticulously scores and grinds directional patterns into the metal surface. Every individual mark dictates how light will ultimately bounce or absorb across the piece.
• Layered Transparencies: He applies multiple layers of transparent paints, acrylic inks, and varnishes directly onto the textured metal. This creates a completely flat, glass-like finish that possesses an intense illusion of physical depth and motion.
• Rhythmic Studio Process: Heavily influenced by his background in audio production, Breish heavily relies on sound to dictate his movement. He approaches his daily etching sessions with a musical, unconscious approach akin to Surrealist automatism.
• Mentorship: For nearly a decade, Breish refined his technical craft by apprenticing under internationally renowned metal art pioneer Andreas Nottebohm. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Representation & Exhibitions

Breish's work is widely collected across the United States. In Texas, he is represented locally by AnArte Gallery in San Antonio, Dean Day Gallery in Houston, and Ferrari Gallery in Dallas. Out of state, his artwork is prominently featured at The Vickers Collection in Aspen and Vail, Colorado, Chandler Art Gallery, and Corazon Contemporary in Santa Fe, New Mexico.