Oolong Gallery’s Eric Laine has electrified the North County arts scene. Here’s why

To many, the art world may feel distant and exclusive. That’s why art galleries need great storytellers like Eric Laine. With 30 shows and counting, Laine’s Oolong Gallery has achieved something profound in a region defined by its creative diaspora: An art community with a life all its own. 

Established in 2022 and named for the teahouse appearance of his first space in Solana Beach, Oolong Gallery is now located in Rancho Santa Fe. It specializes in painting and sculpture from a compelling mix of artists hailing from San Diego, Los Angeles, Tijuana, New York, and Europe. 

“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 SD 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. He’s hosted energetic shows at the Brown Studio in Leucadia, and 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. 

But ultimately, luring patrons to Rancho Santa Fe remains his main priority. 

“The endgame of any private sector gallery is to attract patrons who want more than just to decorate,” says Laine. “A high bar is donating to museums in the form of artworks collected from stellar exhibitions. This is one of the main reasons Oolong Gallery is now in estate country where wall space and storage are not an issue.“

Next up at Oolong? A solo exhibit of Erin Morrison, 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