Courtesy photo
SOUTH PORTLAND – The monthly city council meeting began with a moment of silence for Erik Weisenburger. Weisenburger, 55, served on the Bike-Pedestrian Advisory Committee and the Open Space Acquisition Committee and died on Aug. 6 due to a heart event while riding his bicycle in Wonalancet, New Hampshire.
Council members spoke on Wesenburger’s death, as did the audience. Mayor Lewis said, “It was my great privilege to have served with him.”
Erik Weisenburger
Rosemarie DeAngelis, who serves as the chair of the Bicycle-Pedestrian Committee, began her public comments by thanking the mayor for the moment of silence dedicated to Weisenburger. “As the chair of the bicycle pedestrian committee, I always enjoyed Erik’s thoughtful insights and incredible dedication to bicycle and pedestrian issues. He loved biking, and he was doing something he loved, but it was far too soon,” she said.
DeAngelis went on to describe Erik’s generosity. “He was always the one to bring donuts to our committee meetings, and he always left anything that remained for the public works department.” She described a time when she met a child name Dominic who was interested in art. She told Erik, and he sent “elegant brushes and paints and pencils” for the young artist. She said that Erik said he had wished someone would have given him encouragement when he was a young boy.
DeAngelis highlighted Weisenburger’s talent. “If you have never seen his artwork, I encourage you to look at his website, which is erikweisenburger.com. It is really pretty incredible.” She said that Erik had an amazing background, from studying art in Paris to studying in Chicago where he received his bachelor’s degree. He then received his MFA at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The Dowling Walsh Gallery press release described Weisenburger’s art style, “Erik Weisenburger paints the natural world as a place of mystery and beauty. His precisely crafted images resonate with intricate detail and a sense of wonder, reflecting his interests in folk tales, myths, and history.”
Weisenburger’s artwork is exhibited at the Dowling Walsh Gallery, “which is a highly reputable gallery, very renowned,” said DeAngelis. Some of his pieces are on permanent exhibit at art museums around the country. The Dowling Walsh Gallery had a special exhibit as a tribute to Erik Weisenburger, and his work. The event took place on Sept. 1.
“This has been really shocking for everybody,” DeAngelis said. “The Bicycle-Pedestrian committee will be looking for ways to make some kind of memorial to Erik and we will be bringing that before the board.”
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