Kerne Erickson

In this age of accelerating technology, it can seem a bit amusing to take my simple tools, my sticks and dirt (brushes and pigment) to a blank canvas and commit an act of creation single-handedly.  However, after many years, whether in the late hours of the night in my studio or in broad daylight in plein air, it is this act that remains a drive and a joy.  

I do thoroughly enjoy much of modern life, and yet I am drawn to earlier simpler times in my thoughts and paintings, which provide a counterpoint to the current.  My experience of emotion, light, atmosphere, perspective and color is applied to scenes that are accurately developed by researching the past.  Often a painting will take the form of an old travel poster in a style that could be termed Retro Realism.  Other times it may be a scene that I am standing in at the moment.   In the present, missing the past, wondering about the future, I paint.  

Kerne Erickson is a painter, whose work reflects his direct experience in the observable world. The presence, movements, and effects of the atmosphere in relationship to the earth is a fundamental interest.  Southern California, where he lives and works provides convenient and diverse subject matter. While seeking to maintain the discipline of traditional realism, he enjoys the impressions and abstractions contained in each brush stroke. His spontaneous on location work often inspires large studio paintings and occasional murals.

Working primarily in acrylic his technique involves paint flowing in directed chaos along a film until it locks into harmony with the previous frozen passages. A deep sense of respect and appreciation is present as Kerne describes the painting process. “Painting for me begins with a simple attraction to a particular scene, and a desire to do something in response to that attraction. Often I paint … sometimes I just look.  Whether painting or not, the most desirable moments are when the perception of ‘seeing’ fades, and a timeless perception of ‘being seen’ settles in …….. when painting seems insignificant, when the universe seems no accident, and when i seem a speck in the presence of creation and Creator ……… gradually, time returns, and I continue to paint.”  

A graduate of Art Center College of Design ’69, Kerne has done commissioned work for numerous corporations over the years, including various projects for Universal Studios, and a 150 foot mural for California Adventure, Disneyland.  Also known by many as the creator of vintage style travel poster paintings from around the world, he enjoys researching and bringing to life scenes that have been pushed aside by modern times.  His released book and one man show at George Stern Fine Arts / West Hollywood, CA showcase the the original paintings of this series. He is a signature member of NOAPS and ISAP and when time permits, participates in various Plein Air events ranging from the California coast, the Palm Springs desert, to the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  

 RECENT EXHIBITIONS / AWARDS 

• 2009 SAN LUIS OBISPO PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL, San Luis Obispo, CA
• 2007 SAN LUIS OBISPO PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL, San Luis Obispo, CA
• 2006 ONE PERSON SHOW,GEORGE STERN FINE ART GALLERY, West Hollywood, CA
  • Book Signing-May 13th
• 2004 NATIONAL OIL & ACRYLIC PAINTERS EXHIBIT, Osage Beach, MO
• 2004 RMPAP / ESTES PARK 2004, Estes Park, CO
  • Award of Merit
• 2003 SAN LUIS OBISPO PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL, San Luis Obispo, CA
• 2003 DESERT PLEIN AIR, La Quinta,CA
• 2003 NATIONAL OIL & ACRYLIC PAINTERS EXHIBIT, Osage Beach, MO
  • Best Impressionistic Painting
• 2002 SAN LUIS OBISPO PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL, San Luis Obispo, CA
• 2002 GILCREASE MUSEUM AMERICAN ART IN MINIATURE, Tulsa, OK
• 2002 NAPA INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION 2002, Segreto Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
• 2002 SALON INTERNATIONAL/Contemporary Masters of Fine Art. Greenhouse Gallery, San Antonio, TX
• 2002 BALBOA ISLAND ARTWALK, Balboa Island, CA
• 2002 MAURICE BRAUN MEMORIAL PAINTING FESTIVAL, Maritime Museum, San Diego, CA
• 2002 LPAPA PAINTING MEMBERS EXHIBITION, Laguna Beach, CA
• 2001 NATIONAL OIL & ACRYLIC PAINTERS EXHIBIT, Osage Beach, MO
  • Most Innovative Painting
• 2001 BALBOA ISLAND ARTWALK, Balboa Island, CA
• 2001 THOMAS RILEY WILDERNESS PAINTOUT AND SHOW, Coto De Casa. CA
• 2001 BATIQUITOS LAGOON EXHIBITION, Carlsbad, CA
• 2001 DESERT PLEIN AIR, La Quinta,CA
• 2000 LPAPA PAINTING MEMBERS EXHIBITION, Laguna Beach, CA
• 2000 BIRGER SANDZEN MEMORIAL GALLERY JURIED SHOW, Lindsborg, Kansas
• 2000 DESERT PLEIN AIR, La Quinta,CA
• 1999 SURF CULTURE ART, Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, Texas
• 1997 WATERCOLOR U.S.A. 97 JURIED SHOW, Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, MO
  • Patron Purchase Award
• 1994 CALIFORNIA DISCOVERY AWARDS JURIED COMPETITION, Napa, CA
  • Gold Award
• 1994 WATERCOLOR U.S.A. 94″ JURIED SHOW / Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, MO
  • Cash Award / Patron Purchase
• 1993 ART FOR THE PARKS JURIED SHOW, Jacksonhole, Wyoming • First One Hundred
  • USArt award of merit

Kerne Erickson
kericksonart.com  

Kerne Erickson Gallery