Eric Nils Forsberg

Artist Statement

"I want to capture the moments when man and the sea meet. I hope the viewer feels the power, the magic and the strength in the interplay of man and sea. It is rewarding when people respond to my paintings. I want them to feel a tranquility, yet an adventurous spirit, perhaps placing themselves in the painting for a brief moment."

Eric Nils Forsberg Biography

Eric Forsberg is a classic marine artist, an oil painter in the traditions of artists Montague Dawson, Frederic Waugh and Charles Vickery. He loved to draw and paint as a child and eagerly pursued learning more by using varying opportunities to advance his skills.

Born in Chicago in 1959, at age 10 Eric wanted art supplies to pursue his love of drawing and painting. Remarkably, he found a way to wrangle a paying job washing dishes at a banquet hall to buy pastels and later oil paints. A turning point in his life came when he signed up for a 6 week painting course at Charles Vickery's studio. They started to paint together on Sundays and Vickery invited him to share studio space, a mentorship which lasted almost 10 years.

Eric Forsberg's art education includes the American Academy of Art. Influenced by the master painters of the previous century, Forsberg adds Thomas Hoyne III, Tarbell, Benson and Sargent to the list of artists who inspired him. He learned Hoyne lived in a nearby community and called him to ask if he would be willing to critique his work. Forsberg says he was grateful for the time and attention.

After years of studio painting, at the encouragement of Charles Vickery he went to sea to work on tall ships, schooners, and even trawlers, where he says he learned to paint the power and beauty of the sea and the ships with greater understanding. The ships included the HMS Rose and the Blue Nose.

Forsberg's current favorite subjects are historic ships at sea along the East Coast, the Great Lakes and the Indiana Dunes and he says, "anywhere the water meets the shore." He is currently working on a series of seven paintings of the Pride of Baltimore to be published for the Pride of Baltimore organization.

Eric Forsberg has been painting for 38 years. He shows his work in fine galleries, invitational and juried exhibitions across the country. His classic maritime oil paintings are in numerous private collections.

McBride Gallery is pleased to represent this talented artist.