The title of the show, “For the Love of Paint,” reflects Eckart’s belief in the expressive powers of pure pigment. The series, “Paintscapes” is a natural evolution of his work in his earlier “Ground Cover Series” incorporating layer upon layer of paint strokes in endlessly satisfying compositions. 

Eckart’s virtuosity as a painter stems from an intimate understanding and love of his material.  He knows how oil paint behaves and is continually finding ways of pushing the boundaries of what he can do with it.  In his words, he has learned to “listen to the paint.” The layering of color upon color provides the viewer with an invitation to explore the sensations created by rich, pure, generous applications and the experience provided by laying cool colors against warm, cool against cool and warm against warm, often using as much as 20 pounds of paint, creating a work that is as much object as picture.