Eric Santoli of New Jersey on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Eric Santoli and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Eric, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Over the last few years, I’ve been traveling a lot for my career as an artist, teacher and TV host. When I was younger, I used to dream of traveling around the world to paint, but it can actually be very intimidating when traveling alone to foreign countries. Now as I gain more experience and learn more about my creative process, I’ve been turning that fear into excitement. I look at being an artist as like being an explorer so I need to venture out and experience new things even if it’s a little scary sometimes!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Eric Alexander Santoli and I’m a painter and a teacher. I have loved art since I was a child and one of my favorite things to do is to paint outdoors (the French term is ‘en plein air’) After college, I found my other passion, which is teaching. I travel a lot to teach workshops and I love helping students.
In 2023, I had the amazing experience to live as Artist-in-Residence at Claude Monet’s estate in a French village called Giverny. I painted in Monet’s garden and traveled to Paris and other parts of France–it was like a dream. In 2024, I lived in Florence, Italy and finished my graduate degree at the Florence Academy of Art. After coming back to the US, I had the opportunity to be a guest on one of my favorite TV shows, “J Schwanke’s Life in Bloom” on public television. J and his family have become wonderful friends and have supported my current project which is a public television program called, “Eric En Plein Air” – Our program combines art instruction on location while traveling and highlighting nature and wildlife preservation; We are currently filming season 1 and it’s been a really fun and exciting journey!

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
The strongest person I know is my Mom. My Mom is the hardest working, most energetic, interesting and devoted person I know. I am very lucky that my Mom set an example for myself and my Brother to be hardworking, but also caring people. She taught us that you can achieve what you want to do in life IF you work for it. I wouldn’t be anywhere without her and I’m constantly inspired by her work ethic.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I’m sure everyone knows that the artists life isn’t easy and any sort of creative pursuit is challenging. Simply put, I love painting and teaching, but it seems like the simple things in life are the most difficult to achieve. With that, I’ve had many times where I’ve thought, “is this worth it?” I’m constantly battling my own self doubt as an artist while thinking about the real logistics of making a living. And I’ve also had tons of failed business attempts and disappointments. But I didn’t give up because I always felt like I could figure out a way to make it work as long as I kept moving forwards. I had support from my family and I knew that one day, or conversation or opportunity could completely change my life.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
One thing that I strongly believe in but cannot prove is that things work out in a certain way no matter what. I’m not sure if you’d call this “fate” or anything spiritual, but I always have a sense that things work out if we let them. This doesn’t mean that I can’t affect my own future, but it gives me a sense of safety and hope as I face difficulties. Despite having rough times throughout my life, I’m very optimistic and I really love life.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
7 – 10 years actually isn’t that long a period of time, but I know that my true artistic skills are just now developing. I’m constantly learning about my own way of painting, but it’s definitely a slow process that will take many years. It seems that many things in my life have been long marathons with slow progress built in. My main project now is my television program, which has been only developing for about 10 months. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in a short period of time and I’ll be working hard to see where we are in the coming years.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Monet’s Garden photo by M. Jean Gaumy

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