A Total Eclipse of the Heart by Eric Thompson

April 6-27, 2018
A Total Eclipse of the Heart by Eric Thompson
Opening reception: Friday, April 6, 5:00-9:00 PM
Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.

Artist Statement:
When I am behind the lens, I am compelled to capture the essence of every moment that I can. I was described by my mentor and instructor in the 1990’s as being a natural. My sense of detail and perceptiveness to my surroundings allows me to capture the physical, emotional and reactive responses of my subjects in real time. I also have a photo-journalistic nature that loves to chronicle any momentous occasion in a way that expresses a complete story. These are two of the attributes that drew me to wedding and event photography where I can be artistic and tell a story at the same time.

“Total Eclipse of the Heart”
This past August, I had a unique opportunity to watch the total eclipse from a friend’s mountaintop home. We were in an area of totality for over two minutes and it was an awe-inspiring experience. For me the common thread in featuring eclipse pictures with wedding photography is all about the storytelling. It was just like a wedding in that in order to tell the story of the eclipse, I had to capture all of the elements from the phases, to Bailey’s beads, to the diamond ring, to totality. What I am sharing in this show are scenes from some of my downtown weddings through the past 18 years combined with the artistic fun that I had creating the piece titled “Eclipse Descending” and trying my hand at this new “stellar” art.

Eric Thompson has been a musician and photographer in the Knoxville area for over twenty years. Contact him at ericthompson@photographybyerick.com or visit his website at photographybyerick.com to see more of his work.