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Original size: 30" x 24"
Painting completed: Nov, 2017

"The first sea to capture my heart was the Black Sea, as its azure waters brushed the fine sand of the Romanian seashore. Now I have spent the most time on the Oregon Coast. Although its waters lack the warmth of the Black Sea, the Oregon seascape—carved by the Pacific Ocean’s ever-present sea-salt breeze and bewitched by the symphony of crashing waves—forms a masterpiece impossible to fully capture in paintings, photography or film. My work is merely a reminder of braided emotions of joy, contentment, and awe."

Ovidiu Ervin Gruia’s work reflects the constant struggle for balance in a world of contradictions and radical transitions. A recent arrival on the art scene, the mostly self-taught Gruia addresses themes of freedom and oppression, tranquility in the midst of chaos and spirituality in a secular world. Gruia escaped communist Romania at age 15 along with his family and he landed in a Southern California public high school with only a basic knowledge of English. At age 17, he developed the first of several start-ups, only to leave the business world to pursue his education. He studied business and theology and has a broad range of experience in facilities management, marketing and business development in the energy and healthcare...