Erin grew up in Lincoln, a small Oregon community twenty-two miles up Highway 66 from Ashland, now nestled in the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. There, she could step out her back door to explore seventy-five acres of towering pines and firs, and encounter the creatures who inhabited her world. When she was eleven, she rescued an American Robin, named him Navin, and happily released him back into the wild after three months. She was hooked, and over the years continued to roam her surroundings and take in orphans and injured birds. Privileged to watch these creatures, she got to know each of their personalities and with luck, to release them back into the woods she loved. She gained an intimate understanding of those acres and their animal inhabitants. She eagerly anticipated the twice-a-year birding trips with her father to the Klamath Bird Refuge. There she learned to identify and name the hundred plus species that congregate during spring and fall migrations. And so it was that birds captured her heart.
Her Art brings together her love for wildlife, her passion for art and her taste for tea. She paints with Gouache on used teabags. The recycling process usually begins with inspiration to paint a bird or raptor she has encountered or rescued. It continues with saving teabags from myriad cups of tea savored--each bag to be processed. She lets the tea bag dry out to set the stains and then painstakingly removes the tea. A quick rinse is next, followed by an overnight soak in a base bath to remove acidity. A soak in a distilled water bath allows them to be PH tested in batches; the tea bags dry and get flattened; and finally she applies them in layers on canvas board. She has prepared the canvas board with an India ink wash and other decorative papers to provide an aesthetically pleasing background, before teabags go on. So, why teabags? Because their muted colors and textures enhance the natural qualities of fur and feathers, bringing to the paintings a softness and warmth that that mirrors the creatures she paints.
“Getting to work with wild animals is an incredible privilege and painting individual birds, as I know them, in a way that captures their amazing personality is an honor. I am so very happy to be able to share my work with you. ~Erin
Erin has won many awards, participates in art shows nation-wide, and is on permanent display at ART on FIRST, in Ashland, Oregon.
