Eric Zener

(American, born 1966)

Eric Zener is an American painter best known for his photorealist paintings and prints of the female body. His paintings often showcase the reflectivity and fluidity of water, through images of women swimming underwater. “[Water] is a metaphor for a place of renewal and personal transformation—both literally and the ephemeral sense of escape we get when we plunge below the surface,” the artist said. “I have never intended them to be ‘sporty’ or ‘fun in the sun’ type of images, but rather a reflection on the collective desire in all of us to retreat from the noise of the world.” He is also associated with his series Sleep, in which his depicts women asleep in their bed. For example, in his painting Full Moon, the artist paints the morning son hitting the face and sheets of a women mid-slumber. Born in 1966 in Astoria, OR, the artist went on to study psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Shortly thereafter, Zener taught himself to paint in his spare time, and eventually pursued a full-time artistic career. He later exhibited his work in galleries across Asia, Australia, and Europe and has published his work in a number of art publication. Zener currently lives and works in San Francisco, CA.