Erika Halperin

Erika Halperin was born in Vancouver, BC, Canada in the early 70s and has lived in Oregon for 30 years. Her first experiences as an artist were as a small child when her mother, a prolific artist, would give her paper, paint and brushes to occupy her while she worked.

She believes that being an artist— like any creative endeavor—is a calling that one feels and practices, gradually gaining more competency. Her own art practice in addition to experience getting her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing have underscored for her that trial and error, determination, curiosity, and practice, are quite fine teachers in creative spaces.

For Erika, it is important to paint every day, to experiment, and she spends a great deal of time closely studying the work of other artists.

About her work, Erika says, “My goal with my artwork is to capture a sense of playfulness and joy in everyday objects. I enjoy facing challenges in my paintings, such as interpreting light as it moves through glass and liquid. My eye is drawn to bright colors, brilliant light and deep shadows, but I’m not attempting photo-realism.

My work has an element of pop-art to it, I think because most of my still-life paintings are of branded food and drink and because my colors are so bold, but I’m also influenced by folk art in my loose interpretations of perspective. My hope is that these elements in my paintings evoke a sense of delight in the viewers, especially when specific items of food and beverages spark a unique memory for everyone.”

Get to know Erika more and her work at http://www.erikahalperinart.com