AIMEE ERICKSON
Nature versus Nurture
“Throughout history humans have made vessels to hold water, among other things. But, in a way, humans are also vessels,” Portland, Oregon-based painter Aimee Erickson says while discussing her upcoming solo exhibition at Meyer Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which runs from August 30 through September 7.
While vessels are an element seen throughout the series, Erickson elaborates that, “To me, in the moment when I’m making a painting I’m not actively thinking about this stuff.”
Known for still lifes marked by a masterful depiction of light and texture, her work often considers the interplay between nature and the human experience.
“How does nature hold us and how do we hold nature?” she asks. “I think a lot about how much we are really connected to our own nature. How do we reconnect if we lose that? There’s so much healing in the natural world for us, and still lifes literally bring that indoors. They’re a great reminder that nature is in us.”
Erickson’s painted figures, primarily women—which she considers vessels of life—are representative of this connection. In Something to Think About, a woman sits alone at a table in contemplation.
“I was working on a bigger surface and wanted to have a lot in there,” she says. “I had an idea to include a person and had the opportunity to have this young woman sitting in there. What is noticeable about when there is a figure in my paintings [is that] it’s such an interior moment for them.”
Straying from the commonly voyeuristic portrayal of women in artwork, Erickson instead gives her female subjects a narrative of their own, respecting the voice and power they bring to each painting.
“No matter the subject, I want my paintings to carry some kind of vitality or life spirit, while also being inviting and interesting to look at,” she says.
Adding another layer of visual interest, several of the works in the same series have also been backlit.
“Backlighting is an unusual setup for a still life,” she says. “But I really like backlighting because I like my paintings to be
simple and easy and enjoyable to look at. Even the complex paintings are simplified by the backlight.”
Erickson clarifies that by “simple” she means, “They are easy for me to see and visualize and process.”
Recently, Erickson has also taken a more experimental approach to the way in which she uses color. “I change my palette a lot and I seek to have the color describe how light works so that the paintings are visually exciting,” she explains.
Even with this change, the paintings remain true to the artist’s signature style.
“I just try to paint as honestly as possible and it turns out that’s recognizable in a different way,” she says. “One thing I do like to hear when people look at my paintings is ‘No matter what you paint, we hear your voice in them.’”