statement

​Artist Statement

My process begins with no plan in my head. I lay down layer upon layer of colour on the bare canvas, then search for any sign of "life" which I will try to bring forward. It's like watching colourful clouds drift by and the brain suddenly recognises a shape or a form. This way the work almost finds itself, and I am just there to give it a voice.

I used to work in oils, often with a burnt sienna and ultramarine palette. I now work in acrylic and graphite on linen, with bold colours and black outlines. 

My work is whimsical and naïve, and I'm keeping the vocabulary I've built over the years. There are recurring motifs that have a personal meaning, like birds and leaves, shells and magnolias, along with scribbles in graphite. These will have the freedom to surface, even spill over the edge of the canvas if appropriate. Or not. It might come across as controlled chaos, unapologetically in your face. Alizarin and yellow are leading the palette for pieces planned for 2027.

Alongside painting I make things by hand, including knitted socks and a series of critters with attitude, called Mabaleya. It all comes from the same impulse: pattern, colour, and the pleasure of making something with your hands.

Success for me is not so much about selling my art (although I am eternally grateful to each and every collector—you make it possible for me to keep going!). It's more about this gap: the painting that eventually emerges isn't quite the one I first saw in the colour cloud. I always miss by a mile. So I'll try some more...

Thank you for following along.

Warm regards,
Erika

Deo gloria nunc et semper