In this month's smoking hot edition of the 'Nut we interview one of our favorite artists (and the only man we know with a consonant-free first name), the talented Ea Eckerman. In unrelated news, we're about to add a truckload of fine wooden foils to our Boards section. Enjoy!

Keep it wet ,
The Waveriders Gallery Crew

P.S. Please direct any comments, criticisms, or props to info@waveridersgallery.net. If perchance you like what you see, please refer us to a friend.


Artist Ea Eckerman draws on his time spent in the waters along California's cold Santa Cruz coastline to create fluid evocative oils that often feature a bifocal (underwater and above water) seascape. His languid lines and careful observation of color evoke the lineup at its most serene. Ea splits his time between Hawaii and Santa Cruz and holds dual "Local" status. We caught up with the artist on Oahu's North Shore, where he was creating a commissioned piece.

When did you realize that this is what you wanted to do?

"Artwork has always just been something that I did. I grew up mostly as an only child and therefore had a lot of time on my hands. Both of my parents nurtured my drawing and encouraged me to do it. We didn't have a TV until I was in high school, so drawing and painting also became another way to pass the time."

"My father being a stonemason/photographer and my mother being a seamstress, there was always a certain amount of creativity around. They both relied on their creativity and self-motivation to make a living so I think that was an important aspect in laying the groundwork for me to live in a self-employed kind of way.

"Through school most of my teachers recognized my talents and encouraged me as well. I always did well academically and was college-bound since elementary school, but I never thought I would be an artist. I figured I would be a professional of some sort, but didn't really get pulled into any particular path. I think that one of the cool things about being an artist is that it gives me a chance to consider many different aspects of life and their subsequent philosophies.

"At the University of California at Santa Cruz I took science classes and had a great time studying in as many different academic areas as I could. It wasn't until my third year into college that I really started to consider artwork as a career.

"Many of my art professors had traveled the world and worked in different places and had wonderful stories. Art seemed like the ultimate adventure.

"However, in our modern society it is difficult to make art a reality. After college, I worked as a mason, like my father. Using stone and/or brick to build fireplaces, walls, etc. After a few years of that, I took a job in business/retail where I learned about the business side of things, as well as, meeting a lot of interesting people.

"As for artwork as a calling, I guess there is something to be said for blind ambition. I just never gave up. I kept doing my artwork and having little shows. My spare time was split between surfing and painting and sculpting and working in the studio up in Santa Cruz.

"Santa Cruz was a great opportunity to explore the natural environment and surf up and down the coast. Spending time in the water early in the mornings or at sunset, finding remote breaks in beautiful locations, and just simply having experiences that are incredibly unique to a surfer started to work its way into my artwork.

"There is a quality of light on the coastline and in the water that is unique and often surreal. The view of the landscape from the water is also different than being on land. These kind of elements I try to capture in my paintings."

How does your time in the lineup inform your art?

""People who are comfortable in the ocean are privy to a spectacular and elusive kind of beauty. Having the presence of mind to look around and soak in the experience is essential to my life and my artwork. It is much less about tearing up the waves than it is about being in the environment. There is a feeling of exhilaration and happiness after pulling out of some waves that almost makes a surfer feel guilty for having so much fun.

We have "Low Tide" hanging on the wall. How did that piece come about?

"In the pointbreaks of California, there is a tendency to surf the more consistent waves along the cliff or shoreline, but inevitably there are sets that swing wide and break perfect and, often, unridden. Trapped at those moments behind the peak, a surfer hasnothing much to do except admire the wave for its sheer beauty. 'Low Tide' is one of those moments. Caught behind the peak and duck diving through the kelp in a brief moment when two worlds, above and below water, are visible."

"In paintings like 'Low Tide,' the kelp is a way to show movement and color transferred into shapes and form. That particular piece being somewhat of a break-through for me as an artist."

What's on the immediate horizon?

"I am just so grateful for everyday that I get to make artwork for a living. However, it is definitely not all peaches and cream. There is a lot of hard work and takes a leap of faith to assume the best. I have been lucky to have grown up in a place like Hawaii and to have scratched out a living in California. At the moment, splitting time between those two places and being able to create and produce in each of those environments is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. I hope to continue that dream and enjoy it as long as I can."

View more paintings on Ea´s page at Waveriders Gallery

“With Crazy Horse, it's all one big, growing, smoldering sound, and I'm part of it. It's like gliding, or some sort of natural surfing.”

Connect with Waveriders Gallery
Online: http://www.waveridersgallery.net      Phone: 1.858.539.2680

Waveriders Gallery, 677 Turquoise Street, La Jolla, CA 92037
© 2006-2007 Waveriders Gallery. All rights reserved.