Untitled
Materials: Hand-stretched canvas on gifted stretcher bars, latex paint, acrylic paint, nostalgia, curiosity, emotional stirring, a studio so full of art that I’m hesitant to make any more, three years of drawing vines on my hands in high school.
Dimensions: 29x29
Series: None
Year: 2022
Price: $2,336
I felt like my studio was full, too full. I refused to make any new work till I sold some pieces and felt like my babies had found homes - my pieces are like children - I birth them then want them to go out into the world and be productive members of society, improving the lives of others. But I was in a moment of sadness, and even with my studio being 40 minutes from my house, and it being rather unpleasant weather I felt there was no other option for me than to go paint. It had been close to 8 years since art felt like therapy or a way to process difficult emotions, so this fierce compulsion to go paint felt strange.
As I stood in front of the canvas I felt like a rebel against myself. “I’m not going to paint anything until I feel empty nest syndrome!” I told myself, but I calmed my nerves by saying “its okay Erika, this piece is just for you, you dont have to show anybody or tell anybody about it, its just a fun exercise.”
Once I took the pressure off and accepted I’d broken my word to myself I was content with my process. I felt more at ease and the stress and sadness I’d felt fell away with every calm movement of my wrist and stroke of the gold paint on the canvas.
I tried to emulate my earlier work, when I used a lot of leaf and organic inspired shapes - a nod to nature and her wildness. The shapes back then were inspired by the leaves and vines I drew on my hand nearly every day in high school.
How funny that our own history can be an inspiration to us over and over again.