Erika Perloff
| I have lived in Northern
California all my life. Over the years, the landscape has seeped into me.
My paintings are pure expression of the emotion the landscape evokes.
Sometimes this expression is joy at the immeasurable beauty and wide open
spaces. Sometimes it is deep sadness over the disappearing lands and
encroaching cities. At other times I paint with sheer amazement at the
colors and forms of nature. I am also very interested in the places where
nature meets civilization, where order meets chaos or chaos meets order,
depending on how you look at it.
My training is as a naturalist, biologist and teacher. Although I took a few art classes in college, I was mostly encouraged to abstract the world around me. I wanted to paint the world around me as I saw it and felt it, and so was discouraged. My best teachers were other naturalists who taught me how to sit quietly and observe the land. Foremost among these was Dr. Kenneth Norris. I have also studied under Hardy Hanson, Leah Schwartz and Tobin Keller. I am fortunate to live on the rural California Coast. The scenes around me offer constant inspiration for my work as an artist. As I travel down Highway One to Santa Cruz, I see every mood of the coast as the seasons, light and weather change. There is no need to go far to find stunning views to paint. I am currently working primarily in pastel, usually on sanded paper. I experiment with a variety of papers and sometimes paint in oils and acrylics on canvas as well. I work both in the field and in the studio, depending on the light and how much time I have to paint. My studio is really my garden, as I do all my pastel work outdoors to avoid problems with the dust. I paint to show people how the world looks to me.
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