Eric Christensen began painting professionally back in 1992. Since that time he has enjoyed amazing success and a growing reputation as a celebrated Wine Country Artist. Self-taught, he developed a watercolor technique that allows him to create images of vibrant color and near photo-like quality. Christensen now finds himself unique in his field. In fact he is the only known artist capable of hyperrealism through the use of standard watercolor paint. Christensen began to develop his interest in painting, as well as botany, classical music, and gourmet cooking as a child in Salt Lake City, Utah. Over time he has acquired a commanding knowledge in each of these fields, which has blended to make him the preeminent artist of today.

In addition to his interests, Christensen also derives inspiration from his home furnishings and his extensive gardens, both of which are invariably portrayed in his paintings. Once he realized that he could concentrate his passion for painting into a career, Christensen opened his own Art Gallery in Yountville, California, a small picturesque town in the heart of the Napa Valley. This venture proved very successful netting Christensen exposure in national magazines and newspapers and a national television spot on "WINE COUNTRY LIVING". Christensen however, decided to close his gallery in 2003, allowing him to devote his full attention to painting. Christensen continues to paint stunning images that remind us of the Wine Country lifestyle and delight those who collect his art. He now offers his extraordinary artwork in galleries throughout the US.Eric's paintings appeal to a wide range of artistic tastes. His very popular "wine art" for example might contain wine crates, wine bottles, or a cork puller, as well as what he calls, "organics" like a bouquet of flowers or a bowl of fresh vegetables or bread.

Christensen's unique approach to painting water color images bends the traditional concept of how a watercolor painting should look. By painting on Museum Board and using a higher concentration of Gum Arabic, Eric starts out with thin washes then builds meticulously to over 30 subsequent layers of paint. You can actually see the build-up of the paint layers when you look closely at his originals. Eric's technique allows him to achieve much stronger colors and shadows than can be found with traditional watercolor art; it's actually more like painting with oil on a canvas. Christensen achieves his lifelike near photo-quality images through his genius for understanding the technical aspects of his subjects and his dedication to capturing an image as it truly exists. His love of natural materials particularly flowers, fruits and vegetables also combine to make this possible. He possesses the stunning ability to paint the subtleties of light traveling through a flower petal or its reflection off a wine glass. Composition is one more factor that sets Christensen's paintings apart. Each painting is a study in the balance between texture, height and shape. The placement of items in his paintings must all make sense and be representative of a scene found in real life. A scene you might find in a kitchen, a wine cellar, or in the garden. Whatever the composition he decides to paint it must portray authenticity.