“I am an artist working primarily with photography and encaustic beeswax. When I take photographs, I view it as gathering brushstrokes for a painting, and each of my paintings is composed of multiple photographic images.
I am especially interested in the elasticity of light dancing around reflection, shadow, and motion. Capturing light is sometimes ethereal and sometimes edgy. It is intriguing how the camera lens “sees” differently than the eye. My photographs are inherently abstract and my imagery is inspired by nature.
My intention when designing my paintings is to convey the essence of calm, rejuvenation, and joy. I am drawn to allover pattern, repetitive elements, and symmetrical balance, all of which quiet my mind and refresh my soul.
Within each painting, every photograph is saturated with encaustic medium. This creates soft imagery with a luminous glow, subtle texture, and aromatic scent of beeswax. The photographs are tiled together in groupings or within a frame, and the visual appearance is a blend of photography and painting.
In addition to working with photography and encaustic, I am a bookbinder. For years encaustic and bookbinding were separate entities in my life, the art and the craft, the experimental and the meditative, and then they converged. My encaustic journals are designed to honor books as an art form.
I am drawn to the idea of making journals that are both functional and a distinctive art form, and I enjoy the challenge of exploring new bindings and structures. I am continually refining my skills and building my repertoire. It is fulfilling to see my individual (and seemingly separate) facets commingle, converse, converge, and travel in unique, unexpected directions.
I am currently captivated by sculptural books with complex structures and wax on paper possibilities such as encaustic monotype. I also bind journals for display and for personal use. The Butterfly preserves fallen wings found on hikes and is bound with a specially designed Butterfly Stitch. Blue Ridge Books feature a panoramic landscape with trail maps lining the inside.”
Erin studied art at Miami University, Ohio, and graduated with an M.A. in Art Education. She moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains and taught at Brevard Middle School earning National Board Certification in Visual Arts. In 2011, Erin moved into a new career stage, becoming a professional artist and instructor. She works daily at her home studio near Pisgah National Forest, and her adventures in the mountains, lakes, and rivers become embedded personally into her imagery.
