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"Eric has made Oolong a space of discovery and rediscovery, highlighting the work of artists at various stages in their careers but all meriting more attention," says San Diego-based art critic Leah Ollman. "I always feel I've learned something when I visit." Some Oolong achievements: Widening the lens on S.D. artists by catapulting them to bigger gallery shows and museum-level attention. Laine also represents artists at NADA Art Fair at Art Basel Miami. His peripatetic upbringing — raised between Germany and Washington, D.C. — has influenced his roving style. Earlier this year, he presented the work of German painter Marcel Eichner at the Southwestern College Art Gallery modeled after the Whitney Museum's Breuer Building in New York City. "Marcel's large-scale paintings flirted with the Breuer ceiling, appropriated decades ago by SWC's director who also gave John Baldessari his start there," says Laine, who relocated to North County in 2018 to raise his son. Next up at Oolong? A solo exhibit of Erin Morrison, a widely collected relief and collage artist. "Eric Laine's passion for cultivating a space where current artwork can truly be experienced has made him a valued presence in North County San Diego's nascent contemporary art scene," says collector and painter Chris Birchby. 858.229.2788, oolongallery.com "Eric Laine's passion for cultivating a space where current artwork can truly be experienced has made him a valued presence in North County San Diego's nascent contemporary art scene." AT CENTER Oolong Gallery in Solana Beach; an annex exhibition at SWC Art Gallery << @ranchandcoast RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2025 89