I'M ERIN PARISH

"I have been making artwork my entire life. My four parents, via divorce, were artists. I learned about painting from my university professor-father and how to use power tools from my sculptor-mother. My parents shared their art supplies with me and I’d paint and draw when they were working in their studios. This occupied me to no end. I was a solitary child. Museums and art openings were the stuff of our lives together. All centered around artmaking. It was an unconventional childhood.

My dad gave me my own studio in his Downtown Detroit loft in 1979. I was eleven.

I had very supportive parents who did without to give me educational opportunities. They were educators themselves and there was no question if I’d go to grad school or not. Fortunately, I really enjoy new experiences which broaden my understanding of the world and its peoples, and how they express themselves creatively.

I graduated from Bennington College and went directly to graduate school at Queens College. I have had over 32 solo exhibitions to date and been reviewed in the New York Times as well as numerous important art magazines.

For me a blank canvas is a portal to infinite space, infinite possibility. My first decision is: how deep shall I make this space? The answer doesn’t arrive when I begin to work. Much is decided in the months prior to putting paint to canvas, or in this case, stylus to digital drawing pad.  The idea starts percolating, stewing, marinating well before it is fully formed.

Through a repetition of shapes, which are informed by patterns in nature, I create deep space. I think of the works of art as slices of a much larger realm, the way we experience the sky or the universe. With the digital paintings I can expand greatly on the vocabulary and include depictions of non-abstract aspects such as trees, birds and sealift. I also have the ability to work with microscopic cells as depicted through medical iterations.

I have done many commissions, far too many to count, for both public and private collections. I have had constant gallery representation since 2001, first with Winston Wachter Fine Art and now with Spanierman Modern, both in New York City.

Collectors inevitably are surprised by how they continue to see new aspects of the artworks, even after many years. This is by design. My work unfolds slowly, reveals itself only after the commitment of contemplation, much like nature herself. I have the pleasure of hearing people’s wish they could swim around inside the depth of my paintings. I find this most gratifying."

My art business has been designated as a "Trusted Art Seller" with The Art Storefronts Organization, which means you can shop with confidence, and know that I stand behind the quality and value of my products.