Of Means and Ends

Erich J. Moffitt is an internationally exhibited painter and freelance illustrator. His artwork draws on late 19th and early 20th century movements in fine art and illustration, in service of 21st century humanist philosophy. This often takes the form of re-imagining classical themes from legend and myth via contemporary subject matter, with a heavy emphasis on symbolism. Many of his paintings are fables, featuring totemic animal archetypes and talismanic objects. Each piece represents a window into a short narrative surrounding one or more characters, with their natures and actions on the stage crystallized in time. These characters' romanticized connections to their world are meditative prompts meant to evoke analogous feelings in the viewer. Reflective surfaces play a recurring role in his paintings, and the inclusion of precious metals and jewels draws on the artist's experience in custom jewelry design, a pursuit of beauty in the service of meaning.