About the Artist

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=100 BGCOLOR="#660033" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#660033" FACE="Arial" ><B>Art Tract, The Artist's Website </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC99" FACE="Arial" >    </FONT> |   <A HREF="arttracthome.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Home"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>___________________________________________________________________</B></div> <div> <B>___________________________________________________________________</B></div> <div> <B>About the Artist</B></div> <div> <A HREF="daviderickson.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="David Erickson"><U><B>David Erickson</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>Residence:  </B><B>El Sobrante, California, USA</B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="20" CELLSPACING="6" WIDTH="493" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#BBBBBB" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#BBBBBB > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF HEIGHT= 1061 WIDTH="435"><div> <B>David Erickson</B></div> <div> <B>Artist Biography</B></div> <bR> <div> David was born in a suburb of Chicago situated on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was an ordinary, middle-class setting except for the fact that his mother was a painter and a printmaker, his father a painter and sculptor.  David showed an early instinctive interest in everything his parents did.  With their coaching, he explored drawing, painting, writing, and other forms of creative expression.  His passion was roaming the shore of Lake Michigan in quest of found objects for the “museum” that he kept in his room.  His parents offered uncritical encouragement and allowed him to follow his whimsical instincts.  His most interesting talent was discovering art all around him.</div> <bR> <div> In his late teens and twenties, David took several art classes at Indiana University.  But the structured, rigid approaches as well as the dissection of color and line were anathema to him.  It seemed that any art form he pursued was overrun with precedents, and there was an insistence that he master others' techniques before he actually pursued his own artistic identity.  Although influenced by such artists as DeKooning, Pollock, Calder, Kandinsky, and Gorky, David felt that rather than match his creative talent to a previous technique, he wanted to find a technique for his talent.</div> <bR> <div> Finding no outlet for his artistic ambitions, he put his art aside.  He began studying religion and philosophy and became a practicing Buddhist.  He traveled to various corners of the country: from Los Angeles to New York, from Boulder to New Orleans.  During this time he could find no appropriate outlet for his creativity. He had learned many techniques of expression but could not find a style that suited his philosophy of serendipitous discovery and uninhibited creativity.</div> <bR> <div> The birthplace of David's mature art was New Orleans.  He had moved there to live with a friend buying and restoring historic properties.  He began to experiment with industrial enamels and created art with tools and materials from the job sites.  He avoided brushes or any other instruments that might inhibit his unique style.  Without the onus of any tradition he found his creativity burst forth in prolific output.</div> <bR> <div> In his early work he used a variety of techniques of abstraction combined with three dimensional shapes and figures.  He produced large canvasses colorfully covered with layers of intricate imagery and explosive action, culminating in “The Big Bang," a 100' long, 15' high continuous assemblage depicting legendary loves throughout history.   His later work evolved towards a more subtle but profound vision, trying to capture a sense of man's potential harmony with nature while maintaining his irreverent humor.</div> <bR> <div> In 1996,David organized a one-person art auction showing over 100 of his paintings to raise funds and awareness for the Austin HIV Wellness Center. Up to the present, David has shown his art more than 65 times in alternative art spaces.</div> <bR> <div> In addition to continuing to write poetry, David was a leading man in an independent short film written by Marion Winik. In the mid-1990s David moved to Maui to absorb nature's inspiration and stack some rocks.  While there, he renewed his interest in small pen and ink drawings in contrast to his large colorful canvases.</div> <bR> <div> Due to an illness in the family, David and his wife relocated to the Bay Area where he took a hiatus from painting in order to care for his sick relative.  Recently David began to paint again with a honed perspective and a renewed enthusiasm.</div> <bR> <div> Please visit David's website:</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.backtothemodern.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.backtothemodern.com"><U><B>http://www.backtothemodern.com</B></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width=100 BGCOLOR="#660033" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>