Nick A. Erickson
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Nick A. Erickson, featured in both Create! Magazine and the Create! Magazine 10th Anniversary Book, routinely travels abroad to a high-fructose universe. A captivation with confectionery has inspired Erickson to bring desserts to life on canvas. His current body of work, titled "Neon Cream," realistically captures our favorite temptations while also glazing them with an otherworldly, enchanting spectrum. He intends his desserts to appear real enough to taste, aided by a soft step into dreamland.
And dreamland is where Erickson finds himself when he paints. Rendering cream, cake, and cherry reminds the eye of the sensory experience of dessert. We find ourselves transported somewhere else when we indulge, either celebrating the happy highs or remedying the sad lows. Erickson believes this dreamland is nostalgia.
When he paints his life-like desserts, the work develops a window into the memories around them—celebrations... birthdays... friendships...
Through a sugar-coated lens, Erickson communicates life via the consumable joy that keeps humans moving forward. The endless variety of confection, in all its glamour and beauty, inspires him to have our cake and eat it, too. While dessert is often consumed quickly, Nick A. Erickson's artwork can be eaten with the eyes, infinitely, without fear of melting away.
Erickson has exhibited his dreamland across the United States and Berlin, Germany, including the Phoenix Art Museum, Valley Metro of Phoenix, and the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. His work is featured in Southwest Art Magazine, Red Dot Design Yearbook, 3x3 Illustration Annual, and a children's book, Monty and the Mountain. Erickson is represented by Moné Gallery.
Artist Statement
Since an early age, Nick A. Erickson has delved into the realm of aesthetics, particularly those that evoke nostalgia. As a pop artist at heart, Nick gravitates toward the visual cues of a high-fructose universe. The diners, parlors, and bakeries of retro pastimes have consistently inspired his work, which he believes acts as a pastel, multicolored window into Americana culture. When painting desserts and temptations, Nick strives to realistically render the varying textures of cream, cake, and cherries – so lifelike that you can almost taste them.
Imbuing his desserts with neon-colored tones and highlights, Nick embraces the sweet spectrum. While ice cream and frosting are often consumed quickly, Nick A. Erickson’s artwork can be savored endlessly through the eyes, infinitely, without fear of melting away.
www.nickaerickson.com
