Eric R. Schickler has felt an inescapable gravitation toward imagery, communication and artistic expression since the day he first started playing with crayons as a toddler. Crayons led to pencils and magic markers, then to paint brushes. Pens churned out his literary expressions. Typewriters took their place, then computers. Visual communication inclinations would never fade from the picture, but were put on the back burner, until reasserting their force later in life. Then came film and digital cameras, graphics & photography software, Mac computers, iPhones, Internet communications and high-quality digital printers.
The journey continues……….
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GENERAL CREATIVE EXPRESSION
When asked about his communication work, Eric says he’s thought about the subject often, and has reached a clear conclusion about his motivations, approach and goals:
” I feel we are all born with a certain orientation in life. I learned early on I’m oriented toward observation, communication and human experience. I see myself as a filter. I notice things, put them in presentation form and share them. Then I wait for the human response.
My general tools are words and visions. The visual stuff can be described as ‘Eye Candy’ ‘Graphic Eye Candy.’ And maybe you can call my literary stuff ‘Mind Benders.’ ‘Ear Benders’ if someone reads my compositions to you.
I have a continual inclination to share what I see, feel, imagine, envision and wonder about.
My precision tools are colors, shapes, patterns, textures, humor, light, perspective, composition, backgrounds, spatial references, contrast, tone, shades, imagery.
It’s all communication to me. It’s all good so long as I have created a strong impression, caused a mood swing, piqued a curiosity, or helped someone better understand something. The message impact is greatest when you create a combination of words, graphics, art and photographs.
Ultimately, my goal is to create a positive experience for people and to get them to do something productive and beneficial for themselves and others.”
Expression through PHOTOGRAPHS
In the early 1980s, his parents gave Eric his first 35 mm Canon SLR camera. Practically overnight, his interest and his eyes shifted from the sketch pad and canvas to the camera lens, and the endless parade of photo opportunities found at every turn. Photography was the perfect match for his creative, visual perspective on life.
Since then, he has been on a daily journey with eyes wide open, and has amassed a large portfolio of photographic images. His travels abroad, within the U.S. and to scenic locations in his home state of Colorado have produced diverse portraits of the people, landscapes, architecture, events, and wildlife, and unusual views and juxtapositions of objects around him.
His early efforts reflected his interest in objects, landscapes and abstracts. Over the years, he has discovered the joy of photographing people, as it parallels with his personal belief in the value and dignity of individuals, diverse social interaction, friendships, and highlighting good things in the world.
Eric’s photos offer unusual perspectives, create abstract imagery, convey stories through creative composition, document precious moments, capture nature’s beauty, freeze action, and stir moods and emotions.
He continues to seek new areas of photography to explore, resisting the temptation to specialize.
Expression through WORDS
When he was just a kid, Eric realized he was much better at combining words into expressive thoughts than he was at executing math computations. And as parents often do, they instilled in their son a realization that, while painting and drawing was a noble endeavor, something else might be needed to earn a comfortable living. By junior year in high school, when college decisions were to be made, and majors declared, JOURNALISM seemed a likely bet.
Eric applied his Mass Communications education at various public relations, marketing and communications positions over a 20-year career, before gravitating more to photography.
A multi-faceted writer who feels writing in just like painting, illustrating or photographing, Eric has fashioned rich content into various formats to serve the needs of clients, audiences and himself. He’s comfortable with straight-ahead journalistic news reporting, creative composition, comedy, or marketing, advertising, promotional and public relations styles.
From the creative perspective, he looks at his writing as “wordscapes.”
Expression through PAINTING, ILLUSTRATION and GRAPHIC DESIGN
Eric’s view toward his art is a bit different.
“My artwork tends to be the outlet for my more imaginative, and at times, surrealistic inner creature, and one I have little control over. I see art as a boundless medium for expression, with no limitations, no rules, no parameters. With my art, I am often clueless as to its source, cause or meaning. And I don’t look to affect people with my art like I do with my compositions and photographs. It’s more for my gratification. It’s my therapy for releasing things I can’t define.
I don’t look to get a response from others, because I have no idea how people will respond to my art. It can be extremely different for each viewer. That’s why art is so personal. In some ways, artworks are often a microscope or window into a person’s mind and soul.
Art seems to flow more from the imaginary, cerebral, spiritual, psychic world, rather than from the real, tangible, observable world.”
Links:
Facebook Page for Eric Schickler Photography, Communication & Design: https://www.facebook.com/Eric.Schickler.Photography.Communication.Design (Be sure to click the “LIKE” Button!)
Eric Schickler on Twitter: https://twitter.com/coloradophotog