Aimee Erickson
For her solo exhibition at Meyer Gallery, Oregon-based artist Aimee Erickson releases a collection of approximately 60 new pieces that range in subject matter from figurative and still life paintings to interior scenes and plein air landscapes. This dynamic collection exhibits Erickson’s depth as a painter, while also showcasing her distinct voice as the consistent connector across this body of work. Everyday Halos: Earth’s Crammed with Heaven speaks to the divine beauty that is present in our everyday life, symbolized in various ways through Erickson’s unique painting style. The solo exhibition opens on Friday, July 7th with a show opening from 5-7pm at Meyer Gallery, and remains on display through July 20th. Artwork is also available online at meyergalleries.com.
“It’s this idea that heaven and earth are blurred,” says Erickson of the show’s concept and title, which is an excerpt from Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s epic poem, Aurora Leigh. Poetry and song lyrics are influential in Erickson’s creative process, and this concept of imagining haloes around everyday scenes or figures brings a magical and poetic feel to the work. It also inspires us to look more closely at each piece as we interpret the theme, connecting more personally with the work to decipher a potential narrative.
Erickson’s centerpiece for the show is a 36” x 48” oil painting of a young girl in a pool, who seemingly just emerged to the surface as the water circulates around her with an illuminated wake. The water is beautifully expressed with lively, patterned brushwork that is a clear extension of the artist’s hand. This distinct handling of paint, along with her expert eye for color, are key elements of Erickson’s voice, which is evident throughout the show and across her subjects. For her landscapes, the artist brings a contemporary feel to a traditional process, pushing the possibilities of plein air painting with unexpected color palettes and unique perspectives. No matter the subject, Erickson approaches her representational style with an abstract eye; she builds compositions as an arrangement of shapes that come to life with quick yet deliberate paint handling and directional brushstrokes. This approach gives her portraits a powerful and emotional presence, draws us into her interior scenes, and brings an almost tangible vitality to her studio still life’s.
Seen or unseen, the haloes in Erickson’s paintings represent divine beauty that exists in the everyday – but only if we take the time to slow down and notice. The full quote from Browning’s poem reads: “Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God.” This sentiment is infused into Erickson’s paintings, which inspire us to awake to the beauty of the world and find magical meaning in our limited time on earth.
Erickson (b. 1967, Paris) is an oil painter living in Portland, Oregon, who started painting at the young age of six with encouragement from her mother, who supported freedom of play and expression in her upbringing. She went on to study Visual Communication at Brigham Young University in Utah, where she was trained as an illustrator. This foundation allowed her to develop a painting style with a warm, inviting pictorial voice grounded in traditional realism, informed by the principles of design, and inspired by nature and human experience. Over the course of her painting career, she has received numerous awards in national competitions including Oil Painters of America, American Women Artists, the Portrait Society of America, and several notable plein air competitions. Most recently, she was invited to be the U.S. representative for the Plein Air Cultural Exchange with Turkmenistan, where she’ll travel this summer. She also received the 2023 Still Life Award of Excellence at the Oil Painters of America National Exhibition, and recently released a book titled, Plein Air Techniques for Artists: Principles and Methods for Painting in Natural Light. Meyer Gallery is honored to be her exclusive gallery representation in the west.
-Kelly Carper, Arts Writer
After the Picnic oil 12 x 16
Cove Beach Road oil 10 x 12
End of the Day oil 12 x 12
Harbor Sunset mixed media 6 x 6
How to Forget oil 10 x 8
Kostroma Cottage - Blue mixed media 6 x 6
Kostroma Cottage - Gold mixed media 6 x 6
Night Scene mixed media 6 x 6
Pointe Shoes oil 20 x 15
The Docks at Dusk mixed media 6 x 6
Trust the Process - Bill Park Painting
A Small Patch of Sunlight
A Thousand Little Pieces
Adobe and Achingly Blue Sky
After the Picnic
Afternoon at the Interstellar Cafe
Angle of Repose
Blue Halo
Cemetary at Mt. Angel Abbey
Cove Beach Road
Crane Truck
Dancer
Dancing in the Waves
Dual Nature
Emerging
End of the Day
Everyday Halo
First Light, Laguna Beach
Gathering
Harbor Sunset
Head Study - Blue Rasta
How to Forget
Into the Valley
Jessamine
Kitchen Still Life w/ Daisies
Kostroma Cottage - Blue
Kostroma Cottage - Gold
Long Division
Morning Coffee
Morning in Monterey
New Halo, Side View Night Scene
Oasis
Oh Coffee, How I Love Thee
On the Cusp
Oregon Coast
Pansies
Peonies on the Kitchen Table
Pointe Shoes
Portrait Study - Old Age
Profile w/ Green Background
Promenade
She Knows Things
Sitting in the Shade
Springtime Hillsides
Still Life with Joy
Still Life w/ Mason Jar and Pretty Paper
Still Life w/ Pink Carnations
Still Life w/ Lemons & Pink Wallpaper
The Docks at Dusk
The Secret Life of Swimming Pools
The Visible Spectrum
Three Hundred Million Years
Trio
Trust the Process - Bill Park Painting