The work of Erich Preis, a Huntington native, decorates the walls of Trinity Community Art Center in Northport. Four-foot-tall paintings showcase apocalyptic scenes, foreboding and eerie. His work addresses both internal and external turmoil. Giant gears loom over desolate lands like storm clouds; the people in the paintings, vulnerable and unclothed, either cower or push onward.
Preis has been dedicated to art since he was 9 and studying at the Huntington Fine Arts school. Afterward, with the support of his high school art teacher he went to the Fashion Institute of Technology where he received his associate’s degree in art and design. Then he continued to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with a partial scholarship. During his tenure at the academy, he was awarded the Charles Toppan Memorial Prize.
In his storm series, Preis explores vulnerability, discomfort and the threat of unbridled technological advancement. “They relate to 911, a lot of them,” he said. “And they also relate to man’s battle against the machine and my own struggle with autism, you know, the repetitive motion of my mind.”
There is a painting named “Catharsis.” It is smaller than the others and depicts a triple self-portrait, each face with a different expression. The center face is bisected by a gear and the opened mouth is detached from the face, set wide in a scream. This piece more directly addresses Preis’ relationship with his autism.
“It was very healing to do this piece,” he said. Preis also studied art therapy and received his bachelor’s degree in the subject from C.W. Post. He then founded the Spirit of Huntington Art Center, where he helps his students enjoy the calming artistic process that has helped provide him with a creative outlet to express himself and cope with his autism.
The gear, a signature feature of his work, has manifested in his paintings over the course of his career.
“When I was 14 years old, a lawnmower fell apart and I was fascinated by this gear,” he said. “I always had this gear around and when I was in FIT I started to integrate the figure with gears.”
Preis lost his roommate Michael Noeth when a plane hit the Pentagon on 9/11. Since then, the gear has taken on a new meaning. In some pieces, it is like a plane — the storm reminiscent of a nuclear explosion.
The culmination of the series, “Salvation,” is in the middle of the room and is the largest. The painting was the most difficult of those depicted and took Preis two years to complete. Bob Hendrick, one of the founders of the center and an artist himself, commented on the technique and composition: “There is a certain symmetry to it. It is masterfully done.”
While the other paintings emit a sense of panic, fear and hopelessness, “Salvation” depicts the second coming of Christ. The death and resurrection of the people, the heroic angels diving past flames to bring the people back up to the light, provide a sense of solace, even as two gears grind among flames.
Priest of the neighboring Trinity Episcopal Church, Father Andrew Garnett admired what Preis was able to achieve. “Through art we have a deeper insight into what is going on,” he said. Garnett is holding a “sensory-friendly” service on April 27 at noon for all those who find the organ too loud or the typical sermon overwhelming. The service is inspired by autism awareness month.
“I think this is some of my best work because it deals with my emotions,” Preis said of the series. “I really hope that one day they end up in a museum.”
The exhibit will run through April 27. In September, Preis will have an exhibit at the Art League of Long Island in Dix Hills, where he will exhibit his sculptures as well.
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