Eric’s Story
Raised in NJ in the 60’s and 70’s, Eric Galbreath graduated from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 1985 while art directing and designing in a local advertising agency. After receiving his BA in Visual Art, Eric earned his Master of Divinity, continuing to design on a freelance basis.
In 1997 he relocated to Tucson. The wide open sky and saturated colors captivated his spirit. Running his own design business full time, Eric began painting abstract works as a way to detach from the flat, artificially perfect world inside the computer. Using his hands to manipulate real, physical tools and materials was just the needed catalyst for an explosion of light and color.
“I think the energy of life is a kind of random chaos,” Galbreath says. “Each of us makes some semblance of meaning, imposing order, rearranging, moving, and combining ideas, events, memories. We repeat, correct, update, and edit our histories, overlaying what has come before.
“Living is a messy process. And this is my basic approach to creating: layer builds on layer, simplicity gives way to complexity. The disorderly and the chaotic, over time, form a beauty, a logic, a composition arrived at, discovered and coaxed, rather than intended or forced.
“My challenge to the viewer: connect with my work from a pre-cognitive, nonverbal place; hold closure at bay; appreciate being in the moment with the beauty of ambiguity...”
The Tucson Gallery Asked Each Artist The Same Questions To Get To Know Them Better
Where did you grow up?
A small town in northern NJ, about 40 minutes outside of NYC, where my father was an Assistant Art Director at Forbes magazine and my mom stayed at home to raise us in a quiet neighborhood full of plenty of kids and parks and bikes and little league, and trips to museums and art fairs in NY, exploring historical sites, summer camping trips to the Jersey Shore. Not perfect by far, but lots of good experiences and educational. I loved growing up next to NYC.
Tell us about your family
My husband, Robb Sikes, and I have been together for 20 years, married since 2020. We both work from our home office and studio; he’s a Business/Life Coach, Broker/Realtor and Mortgage Lender.
In addition to the fine art side of my business, I have been a graphic designer for over 40 years and maintain a wide client base, specializing in Logo/Identity/Branding and Marketing Design. And our two dogs.
Do you have pets, if yes, tell us about them?
We have two adorable rescues from Pathways to Paws here in Tucson. Carbon is a completely black (except for two white tufts of fur) MinPin Chihuahua mix and Echo is a a tan and white, amazingly beautiful mix of Whippet and Basenji with super long legs and super big ears.
We love these girls who think they are sisters and provide hours of fun and chasing and cuddles and love. We consider ourselves fortunate they chose to live with us!
When did you know that you would be an artist?
My dad also did freelance photo retouching at his desk in our unfinished attic, and I would watch in fascination as he took out bumps and scratches from cars, and smoothed wrinkles in faces. It was some kind of magic to me at age 6 and I was hooked.
I received heaps of encouragement and praise from art teachers throughout my elementary and high school years, received awards and advanced standing in my undergraduate education. While I did not attend the School of Visual Arts in NYC, I was 1 of the 100 students out of 1500 accepted in ‘83. This path kept opening to me, so it has always made sense to walk in it.
I grew up with my dad’s paintings in our home, even after my parents divorced when I was nine. His art that remained in our home was my connection to him. I think his being an artist gave me “permission” to be an artist, though it would never have occurred to me that I would not be allowed to pursue something in the visual arts.
As an adult I reconnected with him here in Tucson, and it was my honor to have both father and son represented at a now-closed gallery in the foothills. A few months before he passed we sat in my studio and I thanked him for passing on his talent to me. His response still lives with me: “I love what you’ve done with it.”
What is your favorite media to work with?
I enjoy working fast and energetically with lots of color, and I need it to dry quickly. Lots and lots of thick layers of clashing acrylic paint make me swoon. And fortunately, the Arizona desert is so dry, a few minutes out in the direct sunlight enables drying times that would set world records.
Lately I’ve been playing with watercolors and using acrylic as watercolor, as well as doing objective work.
What do you do when you’re not doing the voodoo that you do?
If I’m not painting, I’m designing logos and brochures and large photographic murals for institutions and business interiors. Otherwise, playing with the dogs, watching old sitcom reruns or sci fi movies.
I have remodeled two homes and landscapes and outdoor living areas. I enjoy reading widely, space fiction and all kinds of other genres.