While most artists take their inspiration from nature, cityscapes, places, and the like, Erika Lee Sears, an artist from Portland, Oregon in USA, does something different. Her inspiration comes from her own self doing trivial things. Her themes are almost always subjective, making the viewer see things exactly the way she feels.
Sears is a master at depicting herself through her paintings indulging in insignificant things, such as lazing around, applying nail polish, immersed in bathtub, and suchlike actions. However, her repertoire is not limited to only this, she is also as adept at tackling other subjects as well, such as people, animals, fruits, objects, and much else.
Sears forte is oil painting and it is her brush strokes that arrests one’s attention. With minimal strokes and the right colors, she is able to portray the subjects in such vivid details as to bring them to life. Her paintings not only capture the physicality of the subject but its mood too. So passionate is she about painting that she creates an original piece of art every single day!
Sears, who was working as a clerk in a company, was frustrated with her job. She also had two kids to tend to. Although her love for painting was always there, she was afraid to quit her job and become a full-time artist. So, she did the next best thing, she started painting in the evenings and weekends to hone her skills and learn new painting techniques. Soon she became a completely self-taught artist.
It was not long before, she took the plunge, left her job and took up oil painting as a career. And she has been at it for the last seven years. She chooses simple subjects oriented towards her own self, such as eating fruit, relaxing in the bathtub, doing the washing, shopping in the supermarket, and the like. It is her contemporary still life scenes that endears her to the viewers. The website guyhepner.com describes her works, thus, “Sears transforms the mundane and ordinary into fascinating and emotional works through her unique textures, point of view perspective, and mastery of lighting.”
This outstanding artist has participated in many solo and group exhibitions, was seen on television in some serials, and has collaborated with many brands. She has also appeared in numerous television shows, magazines and podcasts. Her mural ‘Masia’ is adorning Hyatt Hotel in Portland, Oregon. She also has a sizeable followership on Instagram… over 268,000 at the last count!
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