Eric Wert (b. 1976, Portland, OR) received his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his MFA from Northwestern University. Wert has a background as a scientific illustrator, which becomes evident in his paintings. Inspired by the compositions of Dutch still lifes, Wert depicts elaborate floral arrangements and dewy fruits and vegetables. He reinterprets the canon with his punchy use of color and pattern while remaining true to classical realism. He explains, "Even though my paintings appear realistic, I find I use imagination and invention as much as observational or technical skills."
Eric Wert has been in numerous solo and group exhibitions. His paintings can also be found in the collections of the New Britain Museum of American Art, the Illinois State Museum, and the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon University.