Eric Holzman was born in New York City and received his BFA from the Tyler School of Art and his MFA from Yale University. His paintings, typically done in watercolor and egg tempera, have been described as evoking Renaissance masters, Chinese landscapes and Japanese scroll paintings.
As Holzman has said:
My work has always been based on observation. Often painting outside, I bring these paintings into the studio where I may work on them for extended periods of time, sometimes for many years. When I am sure of the image, when it feels right, I may make a larger painting from these smaller works. The basic composition is usually worked out on the larger canvas in earth colors of varying tones and temperatures before I begin the next layer.
In 2014, I began creating compositions from my imagination. I use references from my own work, and from other artists' paintings as well. I have also put figures into my work, thereby enabling me to better express the relationship between humankind and Mother Nature.
I have spent most of my time when the weather is good outdoors painting in the Hudson Valley from Westchester to Hudson, NY to the Catskills, and some painting with friends in Branford, CT. Painting trees outside opened many doors for me. I could see and feel the vibrancy of the energy in and around us. Connections such as these became a primary theme in my work from around 2000 onwards.
