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Eric Waugh — Art in Perfect Harmony
by Lynn Lamousin
The Piedmont Review, July/August 2003

As a child, I remember pouring over the Guinness World Records, absorbed in the kooky feats and natural phenomena documented in the volume. Again and again I’d scour the pages, hoping to find a category that I might one day be the best in, and while I never ended up having the world’s longest fingernails or award-winning bubble gum blowing skills, my interest in record breaking achievements didn’t wane. So, when I heard Eric Waugh, a Montreal resident and holder of the Guinness entry for “The World’s Largest Painting by One Artist”, had recently adopted Atlanta as one of his main hubs, I eagerly contacted him to discuss his work.

What I soon learned was that for Waugh utilizing the modicum of celebrity bestowed upon Guinness record holders was, from the inception of the idea, a carefully planned charitable event. Certified by Guinness on December 1, 2001, “Hero,” the world’s largest painting by a single artist, took five years to complete and served as a fundraiser for Camp Heartland and the Starlight Children’s Foundation—charitable organizations benefiting children in need.

Since its unveiling, sales of the 3,000 plus canvases that comprised the larger than football field-sized painting have generated approximately $60,000 for charity. Unlike many artists who would not want the integrity of their work to be compromised, Waugh sees a greater good in the sale of the work as pieces, and he even recently approved the transformation of some of the remaining 5’ x 5’ canvases into ribbons and, “various items to be sold with proceeds going to the charities.” This taking on of new shapes seems a logical metamorphosis to Waugh and in some ways mirrors his own stylistic transitions.

Waugh, a self-taught artist who began his career as a package designer, rediscovered painting in 1988 at the urging of his brother who was working as a sales rep for a Toronto-based fine art distributor. Waugh’s natural painting talent reemerged immediately and soon his works were part of his brother’s inventory. In these early years, Waugh’s canvases consisted of nonrepresentational elements, but in his more contemporary works he has transitioned these abstract shapes into figurative forms. This metamorphic style is evident in his Guinness painting, “Hero,” which Waugh describes as “an adult comforting a child.” The angular bodies of the two figures are offset by a softness that is achieved through Waugh’s technique of using a sponge to transform vibrant acrylics into muted essences.

Never satisfied to rest on his accomplishments, Waugh, a prolific painter with about 18,000 pieces of original art under his brush, didn’t bask in his record-breaking feat for long and was soon looking for new territory to explore. In August of 2002, during an exhibition of his paintings at Regency Fine Art in Norcross, Waugh met Jim and Karen Carter of Atlanta-based Carters’ Artistic Connections. The couple told Waugh about the success their artist representation firm had encountered in pairing painting performances and music in local venues. Waugh, a musician in his own right, was intrigued with the idea of turning the usually solitary role of the fine artist into a community event of sight and sound.

The Carter’s and Waugh worked out the details for collaboration, and Waugh was soon a regular in Atlanta. In just a few months his live painting demonstrations were showcased in a number of diverse venues including Frequency nightclub, the Swissotel Atlanta, and Mama Mae’s Louisiana Kitchen in Marietta. The theme of harmony was already evident in Waugh’s work and he has found that music acts to bring him even more in tune with his painting. In fact, during these live performances Waugh says, “I have even found myself using my paintbrush much as drummers would use their sticks.” Waugh’s live demonstrations were soon also capturing media attention, and his painting performances have been spotlighted on both Fox 5 and NBC affiliate Channel 11, the latter showcasing his painting of a fiberglass bovine for Atlanta CowParade 2003.

Waugh’s frequent performances in Atlanta have given him the opportunity to see many parts of the city, and of Atlanta Waugh says, “I do find the people on the whole friendlier and more open in Atlanta. In Montreal, because of the language barrier (some people speak only French while others speak only English), people have a tendency to keep to themselves. In contrast, I feel very much at home in Atlanta with people on the street saying "hi" and approaching me at my performances wanting to talk.”

Eric Waugh’s work can be viewed and purchased online at www.ericwaugh.com. To schedule Waugh for a live painting performance contact Carters’ Artistic Connections at (770) 435-5592.

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