My work focuses on balance between nature and industry, reality and dreams, surreal and abstract. It has been inspired and molded by hard industry, but not in an obvious way. Factories and production have been a constant in my life since I was young. I've worked on a demolition crew, two automotive plants, a grave vault factory, and a meat rendering facility to name just a few. I still find images of these places lingering in my art. You will not find direct representations of these places, but you will see the dreams and imagination of a man dealing with the monotony of hard labor. The dreamlike imagery acts as a reminder that there is more to us than just survival. With this in mind I try to find beauty in unexpected and sometimes morose places. At a base level all my work is created to express the importance of imagination as a refuge from life's struggles

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Eric Conrath has been working in painting, sculpture and music in Columbus Ohio for over twenty years. After receiving a scholarship from Gibson greeting cards when he was eighteen, he attended the Columbus College or Art and Design for a degree in illustration. He then spent a decade doing various freelance jobs, murals, album covers and gallery shows. Eric is now the art director for the Scarefactory, an effects company that specializes in animatronics used in amusement parks and haunted attractions. Utilizing the skills used in special effects and illustration he has been able to evolve his fine art. Large scale oil paintings are his passion. He uses both surreal and abstract styles to build up very dimensional paintings to tell visual stories. Eric is currently working on a graphic novel and a line of fine art candles.