Eric Jacobsen was born and raised in New England. He received a BA in History from Gordon College in Wenham, MA in 1989 and studied fine art at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Old Lyme, CT from 1991-1995. At the Academy he received training in the Beaux Arts tradition of drawing and painting from life.

Eric’s true inspiration is the amazing beauty that he sees in nature. Jacobsen is a “Plein Air” painter. He takes his oils wherever he goes, setting up on site, working until his painting is finished.

“It is most important to me that my paintings convey a certain mood”, Eric says. “I want them to be felt by the viewer without his or her having to analyze or think about them. As a general rule, I try to find strong compositions in nature and then paint the scene accurately while leaving out any extraneous details which would only busy up the painting and detract from the strength of the piece as a whole. My painting process consists of finding a painting site and setting up to paint for a couple of hours, or until the light has changed. For larger paintings, I will return on consecutive days at the same time, under similar lighting conditions to finish a piece.”

 Recent Awards

2012 Artists’ Choice Award, Weekend in the West Invatational Art Show and Sale, Evergreen Fine Art Gallery

2011 1st Place, NW Plein Air, Columbia Center for the Arts, HR, OR

2010 Honorable Mention, NW Plein Air, Columbia Center for the Arts, HR, OR

2009 Finalist, FineArt Views Painting Competition, July

2009 Best of Show, NW Plein Air, Columbia Center for the Arts, HR, OR

2009 Artists Choice Award, NW Plein Air, Columbia Center for the Arts, HR, OR

2008 Artist in Residence, University Club, Portland, OR