David
Erickson
IS A MODERN ARTIST BASED IN CALIFORNIA
David was born in Chicago. His mother was a painter and print maker, his father a painter and sculptor. David showed an instinctive interest in everything his parents did. With their encouragement he explored drawing, painting, writing and other forms of creative expression.
Although influenced by such artists Pollock, Calder, Kandinsky and Gorky, David wanted to express himself using techniques of his own invention. This discovery occurred in New Orleans while restoring historic properties. This work introduced him to tools and materials from work sites that inspired his unique style. Without the constraints of traditional techniques his creativity burst forth in prolific output.
David's painting involves a variety of techniques of abstraction combined with the assorted shapes and figures. He produces large canvases often colorfully covered with layers of intricate imagery and explosive action. Or as with much of his recent work a simpler more subtle meditative feel. His vision is to create pieces that aren't just decorative or in the background, but rather engage people and become a part of his collectors’ lives.
In 1996 David and his wife Deborah organized a one-person art auction, showing over 60 of his paintings helping to raise funds and awareness for the Austin, Texas HIV Wellness Center. Up to the present he has had more than 25 solo shows in alternative art spaces.
David presently lives, and paints in Northern California.
aRTIST STATEMENT
Hans Hoffman, a legend in American art, both as a painter and teacher, visited Jackson Pollock's studio, before Pollock made a splash that revolutionized painting. Hoffman warned him that he was destined to repeat himself if he didn't paint "from nature". Pollock’s response, "I am nature!" is one of my all-time favorite quotes. I am not nature, but I don't like to repeat myself. Some artists like to stay in their lane whereas I am all over the map. I feel it limits my creativity if I stick to one tool, technique or style. When I am struck by some inspiration or idea I love the challenge of translating it to canvas.
I am not nature but still I've done some interesting things. I created a ten foot high by seventy foot long instillation piece that I hung on a massive rock wall in an alternative space. The work depicted legendary loves throughout history, beginning with Adam and Eve, entitled "The Big Bang". It portrayed ten couples including Napoleon and Josephine with a map of the Rhine emblazoned on his chest. Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were pictured on a pull down silver screen. Joe was portrayed as a pin-striped coffee pot with a Yankees cap as its lid, and the spout holding a baseball bat. A couple of nights after the show opened I was having a drink with a friend. It was just about last call and the space was nearly empty except for the bartender and the gorgeous woman he was talking to. I noticed the bartender pointing over at us, then the woman (who I would propose to on Maui three weeks later) said the first words she ever spoke to me "you're an asshole!", as the legendary loves looked down on us. The rest is a long story but I think perhaps I've convinced her otherwise twenty-five plus years into our relationship. She said "yes".
I painted a huge version of Van Gogh's self portrait on giant puzzle pieces, cut out of plywood. They were arranged as a relief, assembled but at varying distances away from the wall. The piece with his ear painted on it I hung in a different room, to be sold separately.
I idolize the cubists for their brilliance at abstracting the figure and the "action painters" (abstract expressionists) for their reckless abandon, the sheer power and scale of their work. Like them I always paint on the horizontal plane, often having multiple stretched canvases "working" at once. I am self taught so my painting is a continuing process of exploration and experimentation. I use many non-traditional tools: paint rollers, putty knives, squeeze bottles, sponges, and spray cans. Sometimes I like to let the paint do the work, dripping, splattering, pouring colors together and letting them flow. I feel it can make the canvas come alive.
