Erika Manning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erika Manning is a multi-media visual artist residing in Mid-Coast Maine. She graduated from The Art Institute of Boston in 1993 with a BFA.

Artist Statement:
My work examines my deep connection to nature and to the Maine landscape. My paintings are directly inspired by Maine's gorgeous clear light, the colors of pine trees, ocean, and lobster buoys, as well as the shapes of rock, islands, topographical maps and boats. Although I strive for a finished piece, the beauty for me is in the process of making art. I start out with beginner mind, an initial gesture and rely heavily on random acts of chance and the correct alignment of time and space. As I work, the image shifts as the rhythms and cycles of seasons, nature, earth, life and tides are evoked. The final image is a map of the passage of time, the paths taken, the colors chosen, the shapes drawn, of the emotional weather and the conversations with the piece itself. The final image is always a surprise.