Looking at a painting by Mark Erickson is an experience in color and movement. His paintings express spontaneous unchecked energy, allowing viewers to sense the artist’s creative process and his physical involvement with the canvas. Imagery exists for the viewers imagination, it moves and spreads across the canvas in liquid fury.

Abstract Expressionism was once a groundbreaking revolution in American art in the 1940s and 1950s and it has always been a rich tradition and point of departure for Erickson. Past influences are clearly felt, yet a fresh approach is found in his recent paintings. The direction is Erickson’s own and the paintings are fresh, new and completely contemporary. Mark’s paintings are decidedly abstract landscapes and the terrain traveled is uncharted territory. Each painting is another story to tell.

Mark Erickson was born in Hollywood, California and now lives and works with his wife Elena in their Oakland and Venice studios in California. They often exhibit together. Mark has exhibited his work in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New Orleans and Miami. His collectors come from across the U.S., as well as Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, England, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia.

Mark just completed a manuscript for a book, “An Aviator’s Tale – The Men From Painted Woods.” It covers the life of his father, Ernest Anders Erickson, during his Air Corps days in England in 1944 and incorporates Mark’s Grandfather Frank Erickson, a fortunate survivor of the ‘Lost Battalion’ during the First World War. His Uncle Ernest Julius Erickson rounds out the story and his times in the American Expeditionary Force. It is a family tale of heroic encounters with history. At present, Mark is seeking a publisher and would be pleased to be contacted in that regard. A fully illustrated manuscript/PDF can be read at:
“An Aviator’s Tale – The Men From Painted Woods.”

For more information on Mark Erickson or to see other painting images, go to his website: www.markerickson.com.
View Mark’s resume/CV here.

Elena Erickson 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. Moving later to the Bay Area in California and close the ocean’s edge, the outdoors form the imagery in the paintings she is currently creating.

“While painting I often experience that confidence and no fear of loss is an essential part of the process. The more natural the movement, the more natural the look of the surface. It’s an adventure through different colors and shapes, inspirations and observations, where I can pick the parts that speak to me the most, and put them together in the search of harmony. The focus on the practice of creating matters. It’s important to me to work continuously, so the desired image can come forth. I strongly believe there’s always something blossoming from something else, and following the directions of your own light, will cast new shadows along the way. Ultimately it’s also important to remember to have fun and to enjoy the flow of color.”

Elena paints with the history of painting behind her, like all painters have, but the age of today where technology rules, painting must flourish beyond the coldness of staring at lit screens. It again becomes a very personal experience. A less traveled avenue to follow, but where the roads intersect, painting initiates an important career in which to go. Willem de Kooning once said, “I think I’m painting a picture of two women, but it may turn out to be a landscape.” – Or even a view out of a window. For more information on Elena or to view other painting images, go to her website at www.elenaerickson.com

Cheryl DeCinces Carter, a California native, was born in Los Angeles and has resided in the Bay Area for over three decades. Primarily a painter of abstract canvases, she studied photography and painting at the San Francisco Art Institute. The artist began her painting journey in the style of photorealism, eventually turning to non-representational painting as a more direct way to impart emotional and spiritual notions. She was strongly influenced and mentored by master painter Arnold Mesches at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles and primarily identifies with the LA abstract movement. Carter especially enjoys experimenting with the monotype process, discovering new forms and ideas on paper.

Carter has participated in multiple museum shows, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artist’s Gallery. She has exhibited internationally; most recently, her work has been shown in Japan and is on permanent display at the Royal Thailand National Museum. Her canvases and paper pieces are in numerous private and corporate collections.

Carter prefers not to describe the work, allowing viewers to come up with their own impression and conclusion. For more information on the paintings, please contact www.cheryldecincescarter.com