About Erik
My life has been bathed in art.
I grew up in the Manhattan suburbs immersed in the city’s art culture. My parents filled their museum-like home with Hopi masks, paintings, sculptures, and antiquarian books. I spent hours as a very young boy thumbing through my grandmother’s Life magazines, with their black-and-white World War II photographs. It’s hardly surprising that I am an artist today.
During college I took some art courses. However, my true knowledge of photographic skills developed as a commercial photographer in New York, a brief stint in San Diego, then in Boston. I slowly gained experience with on-the-job training. These skills, especially lighting, allowed me greater freedom and expression. My natural theatrical imagination in my artwork bloomed.
I can say that my dominant focus in my art is the constant employment of imagination. Because of constant creative invention, various themes wander into new and exciting visions. As a consequence, I do not maintain a signature style. But, one constant is that I am interested in art that brings something from the inside out, rather than capturing observations of the outside world. It’s a process that demands a deep exploration of states of mind and mystery. Only in the past twenty years have I found a satisfactory art voice, allowing me to exhibit.
About twenty years ago, I began creating sets in my studio. Imaginary Timescapes was born. Soon after, a ceramic artist friend collaborated with me to mesh his pieces with my fantasy landscapes. Industrial / Organic emerged. These two series examined time through memories, dreams and mythology.
In a totally new adventure, titled She Learned to Smile Later, a large and serious photo narrative began evolving slowly. An exciting five years compelled me into storytelling, a wholly unexplored realm for me. Even now I am revising. The ultimate product will be a self-published book.
After this intense time, I changed gears. Geometry reintroduces non-storytelling using color imaging, design and a lighter toll on the psyche. Mixed media has been incorporated into these new works.
I have two daughters and four grandchildren. My wife and I live in West Halifax, Vermont and Maynard, Massachusetts where I am a proud member of a large community of artists.
