About Erica:

…almost a rubbing of my being.

i consider myself an abstract artist.

what you see is not abstracted from the “real world” but from my feelings, thoughts and interpretations of my experiences. everything I connect with, affects me and my work.

the world which I am drawn to in each season, relationships, books, the news, my cats, water , rocks and stones, barns and houses, peeling paint, music, great food, the changing sky, children’s creativity: all of these things help to shape what I create. it is important to the integrity of the piece that its process is captured as well and so the surface of each piece tells a story of how it was made and what materials were used to make it.

color, texture and writing are crucial to the exposure of each piece. it is the blood in which the art is formed imbuing meaning to each structure. each material and medium has been highly manipulated and concocted so the surface qualities vary and each component expresses different states of mind and feelings. all of these elements are filtered into my body senses and are pushed out and realized in paint and clay. it is a tapping of the unconscious material.

people who know me and my work can guess what season in which I painted a series of paintings or what was happening with me emotionally when witnessing my work. although I find that special, it is crucial that people try to find their own senses and meanings when viewing my art. unlike realism, abstraction forces a viewer to travel to new places which may be uncomfortable or unknown. it is this journey that drives individuals to find their own meanings and question their own feelings and thoughts sparked by the work. this identity awareness is necessary and challenging in life and in art. i believe this process and balance of viewing each art piece as an object in all of its qualities, as well as recognizing ones conjured thoughts and feelings, generates more rewarding and interesting experiences for the self, as well as to the continuing life of the artwork.