Mark & Elena Erickson
Mark Erickson, born in Hollywood, California is an abstract pop painter who uses vivid color combinations to create works that capture the true meaning of color and movement; interpretations of an abstract language, of light and contrast. The shapes, outlines and silhouettes unfold, stretch, and overlay across the entire canvas in a continuous pattern.
The abstract paintings of Elena Erickson are an experience of color and movement. Bright areas of pigment slash across a brilliant background or float above expansive landscapes. The viewer is gripped by an immediate and powerful response to the action painting of color.
Looking at the paintings of Mark & Elena Erickson is an experience in color and movement. Bright areas of pigment slash across a brilliant background or float above expansive landscapes. The viewer is gripped by an immediate and powerful response to the sheer explosion of color and the substance of the paint itself. In their relationship, both in marriage and their lives working together in the studio is a true collaborative spirit. Working together and separate in their large painting space, each helping the other in thought and deed. In early 2020 the times were right for true collaborative spirit to awaken. Steady work in the studio commenced and The Markella Project was born. Collaboration and solo work in painting, collages and writing/poetry were undertaken. Like none other before, the year brought an unique concentration and a sense of discovery. The paintings that Mark & Elena Erickson produce are interpretations of an abstract language refined to high eloquence. A mid career, disciplined painter, Erickson offers an approach to abstraction in his paintings that have the essential elements of harmony, light and contrast. Elena's paintings match the intensity and startling colors, as they both keep their sights on new images and inspirationsThe joy inherent in this collaboration is palpable; the works push the limits of what paint can do to act upon our minds and hearts.
ARTWORK
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Mark Erickson
Elena Erickson
Collaborative Works
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Mark Erickson
Mark Erickson was born in Hollywood, California. His early education was completed in California, Germany and Italy. He is a product of his experience on both continents and a family history combining the traditions of East Coast aestheticism and Wild West freedom. His mother and grandmother were New York artists. They studied under Hans Hoffman and knew Franz Kline before World War II. Erickson's father was an aircraft designer and pilot, his father's father a cowboy and a marshal in the Dakota Territory.
After attending college in Southern California, Erickson moved to San Francisco. He completed his education at the Art Institute, Academy of Art and the University of San Francisco. He has had one-man shows in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans and Carmel and has collectors from across the U.S. as well as Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, England, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia.
Erickson humorously refers to himself as a "blue collar painter". He has a tremendous work ethic and is in his studio nearly every day. It is easy to see his quick progression in experimenting with differing aesthetic issues and emerging with his own very original and individual voice.
Elena Erickson
Elena Erickson is an Abstract Pop painter. She grew up in the country-side of northern Switzerland in the village of Safenwil, outside of city life and influences. The forest surrounded her home and from her youth, most life adventures were motivated by nature.
Elena moved to San Francisco Bay Area in California in 2013, where she started working together with her husband Mark Erickson.
Throughout her works the shapes, outlines and silhouettes unfold, stretch and overlay across the entire canvas surface in a continuous pattern. Aspects of her thought process while creating these works go back to her appreciation of Matisse's fabric and tapestry drawings, and her study in fashion and design.
She often leans towards vivid color combinations in her choice of how the compositions will be laid out. One can find elements of nature, and later as the city became part of her life, an Urban atmosphere takes hold.
Elena exhibits in Mill Valley, Oakland, San Francisco, Seattle, New Orleans and Ft. Lauderdale & Jupiter, Florida. Her works have been acquired by collectors from around the world, and are held in extensive collections in Switzerland, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and across the United States.
MARK ERICKSON Born in Hollywood, California Studios in Oakland & Venice, CA MFA Painting – San Francisco Art Institute BFA Painting – San Francisco Art Institute University of San Francisco, CA, San Francisco Art Academy Munich, Germany Military School.
ELENA ERICKSON Born in Safenwil, Switzerland, Studios in Oakland & Venice, CA, Apprenticeship / Degree in Fashion Retailing & Design - Olten, Switzerland, Apprenticeship In Studio Arts, Painting & History - New York City, New York
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