Interview with award winning architect Eric M Roberts
Eric M Roberts, AIA is a husband, a father of five children and an award winning architect. Eric lives in Las Vegas, Nevada and travels throughout the United States in his search for inspiration. His art is rooted in the study and rendering of architecture and its impact on society. A strong focus on religious structures and their impact on western communities is expressed throughout his work. He is an avid sketcher and prefers capturing his subject matter in plein-air.
What are the awards you have won as an architect?
I have been the recipient of the AIA Nevada Silver medal. This is the highest honor that the architects of Nevada can bestow upon another architect. I have also been the recipient of the AIA Nevada Service award (2015), the AIA Nevada Young Architect Award (2010), Alpha Rho Chi Medal for architecture (2005), Vegas Seven Magazine’s “Most Intriguing People 2014”,
What importance do you regard the originality of art?
I think art has a responsibility to be unique as each artist interprets the world around them. For me, as an architect, I practice a very democratized form of art most of the time. However, my drawing and watercolor is an opportunity for self-expression and consideration of other things that form and function. If these works were not unique to my experience and perspective I think they would lose impact and not have the ability to speak to the soul.
Which kind of custom work and unique nature of custom work do you do?
I have provided custom work for patrons who are generally looking to celebrate a time or place from their lives. Much of my early work was interpreting simple single-family houses for people. I was able to see beyond the architecture and capture some sense of what “home” meant to them. I am not strictly confined by the reality of a piece of architecture. I like to be very technical with shade, shadow and form; but, I feel like color and tone can be much more expressive of the “soul” of a place. I seek to capture that feeling and emotion for my patrons. I have created works that celebrate a favorite sports venue, a favorite vacation spot, a college or university, wedding locations and sometimes just a building that is important to somebody’s history.
What are the different varieties of work and media used in your architectural designs?
My architecture is quite different from my art. The practice of architecture, while artistic, is still a critical evaluation of schedule, budget and design within the framework of an architectural program. When I focus on architecture as art I like to utilize pen, ink and watercolor to interpret most of my work. However, I will also use art markers from time to time.
What are your other strengths and talents other than religious structures design?
I think I have focused on religious structures for my art because of the magnetic pull that they have within their communities. Oddly, my day-to-day practice as an architect doesn’t include much religious work. I want to interpret architecture with meaning in my art. Each building that I include has a personal story. I love to share the story through my art and often I actually write something to accompany it.
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