About the work

I make atmospheric abstract paintings that are gestural and layered. My creative process is fluid and improvisational. It is rooted in abstract expressionism and very much about being in my body–about being embodied. Subtle traces and gauzy flat layers are balanced with craggy lines, clunky marks and saturated colors. There is a casualness to the work, often revealing abrupt edges or unfinished corners that suggest a continuation. 

I’m interested in creating work that captures the moody transitory spaces–moments that are not completely joyful nor expressly sad but maybe something in between or a bit of both. I’m interested in the things we build, our changing natural world and the things we see in our sleep. I’m interested in the ways we inhabit spaces, both real and imagined. I’m interested in compression and expansiveness, water and air and the clouds moving through. 

For me, painting is always about being in my body and the physical and energetic act of mark-making. It is a liminal but active space, like drawing my hand through water.

About Erika

Erika studied painting and ceramics in the midwest and architecture in the Pacific Northwest. She has been making art since the early 2000s and shows at galleries and coffee shops throughout Portland. Erika has a home studio in Portland, where she lives with her wife and cat. When she’s not painting or pouring slipcast molds, she can generally be found outside working on her teardrop trailer, biking around, camping, or rubbing her feet together.

See the work

To inquire about commissions, studio visits and availability of work, please email me at erikawarhus@gmail.com to inquire.

Additionally, you can find my work at Cove Gallery in Manzanita, Oregon.