One of Madison’s best-known creatives, Eric Phagan is a prolific visual artist across multiple disciplines. His drawings, paintings, and sculptures are instantly recognizable and capture figures, scenes, and life in the Ohio River Valley with a distinctive style.
Artist Statement
As a child, I remember being fascinated by the things I could not fathom. Places, people, memories, and dreams (as objects) became intriguing to me. I would record my own impression of the world around me by creating drawings to help me understand the way I had seen them.
Time has always been a factor in my work. Layered lines over raw textures and torn surfaces gives a validation of age, and this progress captures my imagination. Like old film or a photograph, my work becomes a snapshot or experience in time. Each line represents both a mark of memory or an experience passing through time.
The recordings of my experiences are my work… an understanding of my life, the world around and before me. It’s a similar world to my childhood imaginings, which in turn, becomes everything that I know I am.
-Eric S. Phagan
Gallery 115
In 2012, Eric opened his own gallery and studio inside Gallery 115 in downtown Madison, Indiana. This space serves as an art gallery, restaurant, and home goods shop, beloved by locals and tourists alike. Gallery 115 has a large selection of Eric’s art on display.
