“I heard him say, ‘The bigger the brush the bigger the rush.’ ” John Erickson presents the statement for his current show at Phillips Gallery as a conversation between his family cats, Emmaline and Cecily. Speaking of the artist’s creative struggles as they witnessed them from underfoot—endeavors that […]
The history of art, like the structure of the physical universe, has become a settled matter — a grand paradigm — in the last few years. Each now has a story that will stand the test of time, or until a new age demands a different theory: whichever […]
In 1982, “New American Nudes,” an exhibition of precedent–breaking figure studies, began its introductory essay with a closeup photograph of a particularly shapely … ear. This bit of anatomy, which few readers probably had thought of that way before, was as nude as it was unexpected in its […]
Utah artists like what they do. If any of them feels tortured, they’ve kept it to themselves. Some see their art as a prayer, others feel like telling a story. Some see art as a challenge to take on. A popular gallery like Phillips can pull together three […]
In 2013, John Erickson was selected by 200 of his peers as one of “Utah’s 15 most influential artists.” The following profile appeared in Utah’s 15: The State’s Most Influential Artists, published by Artists of Utah in 2014.Artists of Utah recently announced the beginning of Round 2 of Utah’s 15, […]
The 1-5-B, Episode 9: Square One – Helper Artists of Utah http://artistsofutah.org/15Bytes/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/the-1-5-b-helper_1-2_1-2.mp3 For a while, seemed like everyone was painting still lifes. Images of vintage toys and figurines (maybe some marbles and matchbooks as well) viewed straight on and placed in nondescript settings popped up everywhere. It was […]
In anticipation of his upcoming exhibit at Phillips Gallery, Sue Martin talks to John Erickson about his process.
A meandering in the thoughts and life of a 15 Bytes editor, including a coda, glossary and pronunciation guide and mention of artists as varied and talented as Brad Slaugh, John Erickson, Marjorie Mclure, Sandy Brunvand, Stefanie Dykes, Bob Kleinschmidt, Ed Bateman, and Amedeo Modigliani. An art police. […]
THE FOLLOWING ARE EXCERPTS FROM THE SL COUNTY’S JULY “ART TOO! ART NOT!” A MONTHLY PANEL DISCUSSION. DISCUSSING THE “IMPORTANCE OF PAINTING IN SOCIETY” WERE KAREN HORNE, JOHN ERICKSON AND LAYNE MEACHAM. LM: Do we need art? Well, we don’t have any choice. Artists are going to paint […]
by John Erickson Jean Arnold has been “up to something.” Her transformation from competent observer to a mature personal voice spans ten years of hard work — as a friend, for years I have watched this evolution first hand. She has eschewed the expected use of perspective and […]
John Erickson, a Salt Lake City native, earned his BFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Utah in 1976, mentored by Alvin Gittins and Douglas Snow. He further enhanced his skills during a Summer Fellowship at Yale University, studying under esteemed artists like Wolf Kahn, Louis […]
