FREE | DROP IN 3:00-5:00 PM
Everyone is welcome to a gallery open house and artist reception in celebration of artist Eric Twait (Brainerd Lakes Area, Minn.), the creator of RiverPlace’s current exhibit, Letters to the Void.
Visitors are invited to browse the artwork, meet Eric, and socialize over light refreshments at this free event.
MAKE IT AN EVENING AT RIVERPLACE | Stay for the dinner theater comedy, Escanaba in da Moonlight, presented by Warroad Summer Theatre. Doors open: 5 PM Details forthcoming.
The Exhibit
Born from grief, shaped by words, and painted into silence — Letters to the Void traces an artist’s journey through loss, what could not be said, and the slow discovery of a way forward.
Gallery Hours
Everyone is welcome and invited to view the exhibit until August 29, 2026. As always, it is free to visit Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM.
Meet the Artist
ERIC TWAIT
Eric Twait grew up on a farm in Iowa, spending long stretches of time alone, making things — drawing, building, tinkering — long before he understood that art would become a necessity rather than a choice. For years his work was quiet: landscapes, places he'd been, paintings that were really just a way of paying attention and staying grounded.
In 2023, his wife Maria was diagnosed with cancer. He moved into survival mode — caregiving, holding on to every moment, his studio gathering dust. On Christmas Eve, she died. When he returned to the easel, his art took a sudden turn inward.
What came out was words — handwritten, layered, rewritten, some staying legible, others dissolving into color and texture. Lyrics overheard from the stereo while he worked became something closer to letters: to her, to himself, to the silence she left behind. That body of work became Letters to the Void — paintings that don't try to resolve grief or make it understandable, but instead function as records of staying with what hurts long enough to let it change shape.
The series has continued to evolve since — opening from grief into doubt, hope, balance, and love. Eric now splits his time between these text-based abstracts and painterly landscapes of Minnesota lakes, national parks, and beyond. He lives and works in the Brainerd/Baxter area and is sharing his art around Minnesota this year, including this exhibition at Warroad Riverplace.