Shari Erickson

2011 California Duck Stamp Press Release

2011-05-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the press release for the 2011 California Duck Stamp Contest. There are photos of the finalist's art as well.

http://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/oregon-wildlife-artist-wins-2011-california-duck-stamp-contest/

2011 California Duck Stamp Winner!

2011-05-20T13:55:00.001-07:00

This painting will be the next California Duck Stamp! It is a pair of Barrow's Goldeneye ducks, 13 x 18 inches, in Acrylic. There will be a press release soon and I'll post a link to it. I am going to have a really good weekend I think!

2nd Place Oregon Upland Game Bird Stamp Contest!

2011-02-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

This painting of Franklin's Spruce Grouse was awarded second place today in Oregon's Upland Game Bird Stamp Contest. It is 13 x 18 inches in acrylic and took me a very long time to complete. There was much study involved to become familiar with this sub-spieces and the patterns of the feathers. Oh so close!!!

American Wigeon

2010-10-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

This painting was an entry for the Delaware Duck Stamp Contest. It was a semi-finalist. It is Acrylic on Claybord, a drake American Wigeon. The water was a challenge to paint!

Federal Duck Stamp Entry

2010-10-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

This painting was one of 34 out of 236 to be in the semi-final round of judging. It ended up tied for 9th place. Canadian geese in acrylic on Claybord.

Michigan Duck Stamp Entry

2010-10-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

It didn't place in the top three but I am quite happy with how it turned out. This is a Lesser Scaup drake in acrylic on Claybord.

Painting Demonstration

2010-09-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

I will be at Howden Art & Framing next Sunday, September 19th, from 1pm to 4pm working on a miniature still life of some grapes to celebrate Howden Gallery's current show theme " Wines and Vines". Stop by and visit at 1512 Washington Street in Oregon City.

Pear Pair For My Mother

2010-05-09T13:53:00.001-07:00

It's a strange and wonderous thing, how artists through the ages have chosen pears as subject. There are countless paintings featuring just a pear or two. Do a Google image search and be amazed! My mother has always been attracted to such paintings, especially those in the trompe l'oeil tradition. She has wanted me to give one a try for years. I finally got around to it in time for Mother's Day and am pleased with how much she likes it. What an interesting project it was! I am a bit amazed with how much I actually enjoyed painting such a simple subject. The reflection of the sky on the left pear and the reflected light from the left pear onto the right pear captivated me. 4 x 4 inches in acrylic.

New Show at Howden Art & Framing

2010-05-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

These paintings are part of a new show opening today called "Celebration of Honor" at Howden Art & Framing in Oregon City. All are beautifully framed. The top four are 2.5 x 3.5 inches, $125 framed. The Arabian horse is 4.25 x 4.25 inches, $175 framed. All are acrylic.

Delaware Trout Stamp Contest Finalist

2010-04-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

This painting of a Brown Trout was awarded an Honorable Mention in the recent Delaware Trout Stamp Contest. It is about 9 x 12 inches in Acrylic. I also entered the Delaware Duck Stamp Contest, making it into the second round of judging. I will post a picture of that entry when I receive it back from the competition. I neglected to scan it before mailing it off!

National Wildlife Federation Stamp Art

2010-04-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

Buffleheads

Borax Lake Chub

Coyote

I received an e-mail out of the blue from the National Wildlife Federation about some art I did in the late 1980's for their stamps. They graciously sent me files of my art. It is so fun to see the art again. They aren't very big, about 5 x 7 inches as I recall. These were used for various applications - stamps of course, dishes and a calender and some other gift items. Maybe someday the Federation will produce stamps again. I sure hope so! Visit http://www.nwf.org

Huge Mural Unveiled at Olympics

2010-02-14T11:09:00.000-08:00

Here it is at last! The Mural Mosaic "Kunamokst". It's 21 feet long and 11 feet high! 180 artists were involved in it's creation, all from the West Coast. It is on display in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, through the Olympic Games. Go to http://www.muralmosaic.com/kunamokst.html to see an image of the mural with each painting being clickable to it's own window, enlarged with info. My panel is #147. Scroll down my blog to see and read about this panel as it developed.

Silver Sea Mini Painting

2010-02-10T13:54:00.001-08:00

This is a stormy sunset on the Oregon Coast. This little painting is 2.5 x 3.5 inches, ACEO sized and is in Golden Open Acrylics.

Sage Grouse in Snow

2010-02-08T13:58:00.001-08:00

This painting was top five in the Oregon Upland Game Bird Stamp Contest. Sage Grouse live in the arid regions of the west and are dependent on Sage for their food and shelter. The males have a very interesting and distinctive mating dance they do to attract females. This painting is 13 x 18 inches in Acrylic.

My art is in a Gallery!

2010-02-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

My artwork is now being shown at Howden Art & Framing in Oregon City. This is a very nice, bright and airy gallery full of wonderful stuff! The framing service is top notch with lots of frames to chose from, and the prices are reasonable. I am very excited to see what the future holds as my relationship with this gallery develops. The current show "Give me Shelter", runs through April. I have two paintings in the show, including the one above.

Twenty-five Years Ago....

2009-11-09T12:08:00.000-08:00

This 12 x 24 inch acrylic painting of a killdeer goes back to 1985, the year I graduated from college. I had just earned a B.F.A. from the Kansas City Art Intstitute and was just starting out as a professional wildlife artist. I remember this painting taking me forever to finish with all the vegetation. It wouldn't take me nearly as long to paint something similar now. I guess that means I've learned a bit about painting through the years! It belongs to a nice lady who, last I heard, lives in California somewhere. This image was scanned from an old slide.

My Federal Duck Stamp Entry

2009-10-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

This is the painting I entered in the duck stamp contest. Although I didn't win, it feels good to have been a part of such a competition. I hope to enter again next year. This painting is in acrylic, 7 x 10 inches, a drake wood duck.

Mural Mosaic Progress Post #8 Finished!

2009-10-07T19:45:00.001-07:00

It's finished and on it's way to Alberta, Canada! Be sure to check out the mural at http://www.muralmosaic.com/kunamokst.html My panel is #147.

This was a challenging project and lots of fun. I learned quite a bit about my working methods that I wasn't conscious of, by having to paint on top of an abstract design. The detail is about actual size. The panel is 12x12 inches, acrylic on hardboard. I've titled it "Surf's Up!"

Mural Mosaic Progress Post #7

2009-10-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

Step 7: Really getting into detail on the duck now. Still a long way to go....

Mural Mosaic Progress Post # 6

2009-09-29T10:56:00.001-07:00

Step 6: More detail on the water and a little more refinement of the duck. I've changed the waterline on the duck so he seems more like he's in the water. Check back for more soon. This painting has a tight deadline and I am pushing to finish it pronto!

Mural Mosaic Progress Post #5

2009-09-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

Step 4: More refinement and starting to pick out shapes in the rocks. I"ve also added a bit more shading and lighting to the duck.

Step 5: Getting into the fun part - detail! I've put quite a bit of work into the rocks and started to define the water. I have a long way to go but it is starting to look like something. The blue shape at the bottom is strange, but is part of the design for the mural, so I must work hard to retain it and make it look like a reflection of the sky. Katelyn's hampster idea would've been a whole lot easier!

Found out that the mural project will be the subject of a documentary during the Olympics!

See the active grid of the mural as it comes together: http://www.muralmosaic.com/kunamokst.html

Mural Mosaic Progress Post #4

2009-09-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

Step 3: Now I'm starting to work out how the water and rocks will look. This is a challenge because I am pretty much winging it, needing to conform to the tones and shape of the predetermined design. I am depending on memory and past experience observing and painting surf. As I post the stages of this project, you'll notice the colors shifting. Much of that will be due to the various light conditions present when I take photos of the art in progress. The first two stages were photographed outside and this stage inside at night. I will be sure to post the finished art as close to actual color as I can manage! Be sure to check out the active grid of the mural to see how it's shaping up. Can you guess what the image will be? I sure can't yet!

Active grid:
http://www.muralmosaic.com/kunamokst.html

Mural Mosaic Progress Post #3

2009-09-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

Step 1: Here is our duckie now in his native surf habitat. I've painted him in pretty quickly and as you can see, it will take a few layers of paint to cover up the background showing through him. Oh, this is acrylic by the way.

Step 2: Here he is after a bit more paint, starting to give him some dimension. I will probably paint on him a little more and then work on the water and rocks. I typically work on the whole painting, bringing all the elements together in stages. Some artists do the subject to completion and then do the background, or visa versa. My paintings tend to be a mess until the very last stages.

I haven't done anything to the background yet. It appears darker because of the changing daylight between photos. Keeping the overall purple-ness of the panel will be a challenge!

Mural Mosaic Progress Post #2

2009-09-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

Harlequins! One of the most beautiful ducks in our Lord's waterfowl collection! I haven't painted one in years so this will be a treat.

First I gathered some reference, not the best photos but they'll have to do.

Some drawings from my sketchbooks, all done from life.

I then did a quick rough sketch:

I cleaned it up and came up with a final sketch

This sketch I transfered onto the panel.

http://www.muralmosaic.com/kunamokst.html

Mural Mosaic Progress Post #1

2009-09-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

A mural mosaic is a very large work of art made up of many individual paintings, which when arranged together, form an image. This project, The West Coast Mural Kunamokst, is a compilation of 231 separate pieces of art by over a hundred different artists. Each piece will depict an image in keeping with the west coast theme. None of the artists know what the finished mural will look like (except it's designers of course)! Konamokst will be 11 feet high and 21 feet long when it is complete. There is an active grid of the mural, with updates of finished panels being added at http://www.muralmosaic.com/kunamokst.html

I am very excited to be one of the artists involved in the creation of Kunamokst. It is an honor to be among such a wonderful group of talented painters.

Below is the panel assigned to me - panel #147. It arrived as a one foot square piece of hardboard with an absract splash of color painted on it complete with "up" arrow. I am to come up with a design that retains the color and tonal aspects of the panel, covering up all the original surface with my own painting.

So, what to paint? I stared at it for a while. Talked with my niece about it, who suggested a hampster riding a sandpiper. Yup, you read that right...Gazed at it some more. Drew up a few sketches, none of which did a thing to inspire me. Then, in the wee hours of the morning, I woke up with an image in my head: a harlequin duck in surf! I love harlequins and have seen many in the surf around jetties and headlands. A very west coast duck for sure! Look closely at the panel. Can you see a duck in there?

What's up update

2009-08-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

The sketch above is a detail from a work in progress for the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

It will end up as a pencil and watercolor painting for an interpretive sign at the refuge. After this project is complete, I will be doing a painting for the West Coast Mural which is part of the Mural Mosaic project. It's really cool! Check it out at http://www.muralmosaic.com/

Sunny Forest Mini Painting

2009-05-16T09:54:00.001-07:00

Here is another view of our back woods. The snow is all gone and everything is green and fresh. A beautiful day for praise and thanksgiving! This was painted yesterday en plein air in Golden Open Acrylics, 2.5 x 3.5 inches.

Snowy Forest Mini Painting

2009-05-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

This is the view off our back deck last winter when it had snowed way more than usual. It is 2.5 x 3.5 inches, Golden open Acrylics.

Gerber Daisies Mini Painting

2009-05-06T13:25:00.000-07:00

This is a nice bunch of Gerbers resulting from a weekly drawing event at Wetcanvas.com. It is 2.5 x 3.5 inches (ACEO sized) in Golden Open Acrylics. Happy Spring!

Mt. St. Helens Mini Painting

2009-05-04T10:52:00.001-07:00

This one was fun to do. Lots of golds and blues and bouncing light. It is 2.5 x 3.5 inches, ACEO sized, in Golden Open Acrylics.

Mossy Rock Mini Painting

2009-05-02T14:13:00.001-07:00

Another from the landscape challenge at Wetcanvas.com. This one is ACEO sized - 3.5 x 2.5 inches in Golden Open Acrylics.

Red Tree on the Wenatchee Mini Painting

2009-04-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

This is the result of the April landscape challenge at Wetcanvas.com where everyone paints from a few selected references and then we all enjoy the results. It's a lot of fun and very inspiring. This little painting is 2.5 x 3.5 inches in Golden Open Acrylics. It was a difficult one for me and took a bit more time than others I've painted in this size.

Misty Glade Mini Painting

2009-04-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

This painting is of a forest on the Pacific coast near the ocean where it is often misty. I love the way moss looks on trees with the sun shining through. Over the years, it has become a common theme in my paintings. This little painting is 2.5 x 3.5 inches, ACEO sized, in Golden Open Acrylics.

What's old Is New Again

2009-04-06T10:51:00.000-07:00

Unfinished Landscape

8 x 10 Gouache

While cleaning out my studio, I discovered this little unfinished plein aire painting. I don't remember where or when it was painted, but I do remember that I wasn't happy with it and gave up on it. Ordinarily I would have tightened it up quite a bit before calling it finished. It is interesting to me to see the brush strokes and the roughness of it. I actually like it now, maybe because the negative feelings I had towards it have long since faded and I can just enjoy it for what it is.

Mini Landscape

2009-03-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

This little painting is 2.5 x 3.5 inches, ACEO sized in Golden Open Acrylics. I am longing for some weather like this! Soon I hope!

Hummers are back!

2009-03-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

The Rufus Hummingbirds have returned from their winter haunts, which means it's Spring! Later, when they are at their peak numbers, we will have over two dozen at the feeders. We go through lots of sugar! Hummers are one of God's most dazzling little miracles, in my opinion!

Percheron Horse Portrait

2009-02-02T11:46:00.001-08:00

This painting is part of the breed a week project at wetcanvas.com. The Percheron is a majestic breed of draft horse from France. They are usually grey or black. This piece is in Golden Open Acrylics and is 4.25 x 4.25 inches.

Lake Sunset Mini Painting

2009-01-31T15:17:00.001-08:00

This is another little painting resulting from the wetcanvas.com weekly event. It is ACEO sized - 2.5 x 3.5 inches, in Golden Open Acrylics.

Old Barn and Truck Mini Painting

2009-01-27T14:49:00.000-08:00

This is a painting done for the WDE at wetcanvas.com. The host of the event asked us to include a crop of the imgae as well. The painting is 2.5 x 3.5 inches (ACEO sized), in Golden Open Acrylics. The crop of the truck is much larger than actual size. Pretty interesting exercise!

Snowy Landscape and Arab Portrait Paintings

2009-01-16T12:34:00.000-08:00

The snowy landscape, 2.5 x 3.5 inches, was painted en plein aire during a recent snow storm. The Arab, 4.25 x 4.25 inches, is the result of my participation in A Breed a Week art project on the equine art forum at wetcanvas.com. Both are in Golden Open Acrylics.

Przewalski's Horse

2009-01-11T22:31:00.000-08:00

This painting was done for a project at wetcanvas.com. The project is to paint a different horse breed every week for a year. The host of the project names a horse breed each Monday and everyone involved paints and draws and posts their results. This is the first week of the project. I hope to do more breeds as inspiration strikes. This painting is a little over 4 inches square, Golden Open Acrylics on coldpressed ragboard.
The Przewalski's Horse is an endangered species recently reintroduced into the wild after a captive breeding program was set up to save it from extinction. Also known as the Asiatic Wild Horse, this species is the only remaining true wild horse, never having been domesticated. The four hundred in the wild today are living in a nature preserve in Mongolia. It is sad when one of God's creations is gone, and wonderful when one such on the edge of extinction can be saved and appreciated.

ACEO's from Wetcanvas All Media Art Events

2008-12-31T11:53:00.000-08:00

Landscape

Seascape

Sunflower Field

The little paintings above are from the All Media Art Events (aka Weekly Drawing Events) at wetcanvas.com, which is a very busy online artist's community. Each Friday, an event host posts 16 photos from which to draw inspiration. After two hours or when the piece is finished, whichever comes first, you post your art. If you aren't quite done yet, you post it as a work-in-progress, and post the finished piece later. It is a great deal of fun and inspiring to see all the different interpretations and styles of art. The three paintings are 2.5 x 3.5 inches using Golden open acrylics.

Vaya Con Dios My Friend

2008-12-06T22:28:00.000-08:00

This post is in memory of Ray Butler, family friend and my dad's long-time fishing buddy. Ray worked for a traveling carnival before we knew him and had some pretty interesting stories to tell about that. He enjoyed the outdoors and helped us buck hay for the horses and spent many hours with my dad cutting firewood. He was really good at tying knots. Most of the time Ray looked like in the picture above (he's in the brown shirt, my dad's the other guy), kinda crusty and smelling of fir trees and fish. He would come to Thanksgiving dinner all dressed up in a lemon yellow button up sweater, so neat and clean, we'd hardly recognize him! He was the Rancid Crabtree of my life. We will miss you Ray.

Brown Trout in Gift Shop

2008-10-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to me how each brown trout has it's own pattern, individual as a snowflake. This particular one is very beautiful, with many spots and lots of blue. This colorful brown trout is now available on t-shirts, mugs, notecards and more in the gift shop http://www.cafepress.com/sharierickson

Window Flowers

2008-10-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

These flowers are from our garden and are displayed in some little bottles that were dug up from where they were buried long ago. Trash then, treasure now! Washing up the pots and pans is much nicer when there are flowers to enjoy - sweet william, campanula, rose, viola, iris, penstemon, ninebark, even some hawkweed. The variety of our Lord's flowers is too awesome to fully comprehend! I keep thinking I will paint some of these bottles with flowers sometime.

New Andalusian Horse Design in Giftshop

2008-10-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

This new Andalusian Horse Portrait design is now available on tote bags, mugs, t-shirts, tile boxes, and other gifts at http://www.cafepress.com/sharierickson

Trade with Friend

2008-10-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

Lace Knit by Rosemarie

Delphinium and Sara's Orange Tip Butterfly

Once in a great while I'll do a trade. This trade is dear to me as it was with a very special lady who has the biggest heart I know. She is always encouraging and gives countless hours serving our Church, schools and community. She is a master with a pair of knitting needles. This lace piece is very detailed and will make a great pillow. I've shown only a detail of it as it is too large to scan the whole thing. The gouache/colored pencil painting is of flowers in my garden and one of my favorite butterfly species. It is 5 x 7 inches.

New ACEO Paintings

2008-09-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

Thayer's Gull ACEO

Red-breasted Nuthatch ACEO

#1 Songbird Series

These two are both painted with Golden's new Open Acrylics on cold-pressed rag board. They are ACEO sized - 2.5 x 3.5 inches. Please e-mail me at shari11@sharierickson.com if you are interested in buying an original or a limited edition print. I am very interested in painting ACEO sized art and have plans for several series. If you purchase the first of a series, you will be given first choice to buy further paintings in that series. I have currently started three series: Spanish Horses, Waterfowl, and songbirds. My ACEO sized originals are available for $100.

Cat Herd expands!

2008-09-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

Corazon "Cori"

Marble

Our cat herd now has three new members bringing it up to nine cats! That puts us in the crazy cat people realm for sure! The third new cat, Preacher (black with a vertical white bar on his neck), is still too skittish to have his picture taken. He runs under the nearest furniture when we get too close. (trapping him in the house was a rather tricky venture...) He is getting tamer and tamer though. We are pretty sure these three young cats were abandoned by the people across the road when they moved. By the time they showed up at our place, they were in sorry shape, dehydrated and starving. They are brothers - Preacher and Marble being litter mates and Cori from the next litter, we think. Of course this is a guess on our parts, but looking at them, anyone would come to the same conclusion. It is sad when things like this happen, but these three are luckier than many. Please spread the word about the importance of neutering and spaying!

Andalusian Painting , ACEO Size

2008-09-23T12:26:00.000-07:00

Andalusian Horse Portrait ACEO

#1 Spanish Horse Series

This little painting is only 2.5 x 3.5 inches, ACEO size, and is done with Golden's new Open Acrylics. As I continue to get to know these new paints, I am more and more convinced they were developed just for me! They are not like traditional acrylics or oils, but have some attributes of both, setting it apart as a distinctive medium in it's own right. I am so lucky to have a model for this painting in my own pasture - my beloved Andalusian gelding Tico.

First Paintings with Golden's New Open Acrylics

2008-09-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

Driveby Sunset 5x7

Cinnamon Teal 2.5 x 3.5 ACEO

#1 Waterfowl Series

I've just discovered a wonderful new paint seemingly made just for me! Golden's Open Acrylics are perfect for my way of working and I look forward to finding out just how versatile they are. I've always loved oil painting but the resulting headaches from the fumes have kept me away. Over the years my opaque works have been primarily in acrylic and gouache with a short stint with casein. I can already see that having worked with all these other types of paint has been of benefit in becoming familiar with the open acrylics. They don't really mimic any of the others but have a combination of qualities which remind me of all the others. They dry slowly and are very blendable. The colors are more luminescent than traditional acrylics ( in my opinion of course). They work up for me much faster than gouache, which can be very fussy to work with. The relative transparency of each pigment seems to follow along the lines of the other types of paint.

The top painting was done outdoors on a hot day to see how the paint does for plein aire, although this painting is from a blurry photo taken from a car window. It is 5x7 inches on gesso board. I found the open acrylics to be wonderful for working outdoors. They truly did stay wet and didn't even begin to thicken up over the several hours they were exposed to 90 degree heat. My biggest problem was remembering not to rest my hand on my wet painting!

The bottom painting is of a female Cinnamon Teal. It is 2.5 x 3.5 inches on ragboard. I am interested in painting miniatures and decided to try one. I also wanted to see if I could get a decent amount of detail with the open acrylics. They are very similar to tradional acrylics in this regard. This tiny little painting is ACEO size. I may do a series of miniatures for ACEO collectors. Let me know if you are interested in purchasing an original or perhaps a limited edition print. I would charge around $100 for this size to cover my time and effort.

Art Gift Shop Now Open!

2008-09-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

Tule Chinook Salmon Gouache

"Luna Light, Panther Might" Cougar Acrylic

"Meadow Dance" Andalusian Horse Gouache

"Broken Feather' Red-Tailed Hawk Casein

"Alsea Springer" Spring Chinook Salmon Gouache

"Baroque" Andalusian Horse Oil

"Fantasma" Andalusian Horse Oil

Deer Fawn Oil

Northern Leopard Frog Watercolor

I recently opened a Gift shop at http://www.cafepress.com/sharierickson All the designs above are available there on mugs, t-shirts, buttons, cards, tile boxes, etc.

White Andalusian Stallion Painting

2008-08-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

Fuego Acrylic 16 x 20

This is a portrait of the Pura Raza Espanola - Pure Spanish - Stallion Dacio S, sire of my gelding Diplomatico. These horses are commonly known as Andalusians.

This painting is available on giftware at http://www.cafepress.com/sharierickson

"Spotted" Bobcat Painting

2008-08-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

This painting is available on giftware at http://www.cafepress.com/sharierickson

Cats

2008-04-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

My cat herd. Today is the birthday of Tinta (15), Bella and Brave (13). They were born in the wild . Tinta is the mother of Bella and Brave.

Pigeon and Elderberry

2008-03-31T22:45:00.000-07:00

Watercolor of a Band-tailed Pigeon for the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

Three Swallows

2008-03-31T22:40:00.000-07:00

Watercolor Painting of a Violet Green, Tree, and Barn Swallow for the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Available on gifts at http://www.cafepress.com/sharierickson

Golden-crowned sparrow

2008-03-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

Watercolor painting for the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.