We are really proud to feature an interview with one of Calgary’s own professional artists, Erik Olson. Erik comes from a dynamic background and a family of creative minded individuals and is quickly becoming an icon on the Canadian artistic landscape. His work has been exhibited here at The Art Gallery of Calgary as well as at Skew Gallery. He has worked on two Olympic projects, both in Turin and Vancouver, as well as several other works around the world. One of his most recent projects, and a personal favorite of mine, entitled, “Out of India” showcased with great triumph the culture and people of India. To gain a better knowledge of his subject matter, Erik embarked on a journey around India by motorcycle; upon his return he produced a truly brilliant collection of work. Erik’s artistic process allows him to fully experience his surroundings before picking up a paint brush. I think it’s this unique artistic perspective that makes his work so appealing. It was a pleasure to speak with Erik last week and we hope you enjoy the interview below.
Did you go to art school? Where and why? What was your experience like?
I attended Emily Carr straight from High School and originally began studying Design and Communications. It didn’t take long before I found myself in the painting studio where I really began to notice that this is what my focus should be. The studios at Emily Carr were pretty exciting at the time. It seemed like I was part of a generation of artists that were rediscovering that painting still had relevance. In the studio were artists like Nam Nguyen, Julie Beugen, Charlie Roberts, Eli Bornowsky, Nicholas Pittman, it all added up to a diverse and creative space.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
With my work I look for something that intrigues me on a broad scale; I find that if I start with that initial interest and then go in for a closer look, the subject matter usually presents itself and surprises me. The “Out of India”, series came out of my curiosity about the massive economic and social changes sweeping across India but in order to make work about it, I knew I had to become personally connected with the subject matter. I’ve been fortunate to have travelled quite extensively through Europe, Asia, the USA and various other places in the world. As a child my family travelled often, we even lived in Kenya for a while. I suspect all these experiences have in many ways affected or inspired my work.
Have you always been creative/artistic and did you always know you wanted to be an artist?
Since I can remember I was always interested in drawing and painted often. My first job was painting houses, so I have always been familiar with the medium and it was during this time that I really began to focus on art. To be honest it took a while for me before I knew it would turn into a career and it wasn’t until I had settled in at Emily Carr that I knew it would be my profession.
Did your family influence your career choice? Do you come from a background of artists or creative minded people?
I would think in many ways yes, my family is very creative. Both of my parents are landscape architects, my younger brother is at Emily Carr and my aunts on both sides are also very creative. My one aunt is a Russian Orthodox nun who paints icon paintings. In the early part of my life when my family travelled for work we would go to museums, study the architecture around us and in many ways our lifestyle likely influenced my career; it’s what we all enjoyed doing.
What are some of the challenges you have run into being a professional artist?
I would say my challenges are like anyone else’s in the sense that there is always a project that you want to do well but it can be difficult at times to wake up every day and plough through it successfully. With art especially, you have to keep yourself consistently motivated. It’s as if you need to keep reinventing yourself and finding the vision of what you want to do and then follow through with it.
What has been the proudest moment in your career, and why?
There was a really cool moment I experienced once I had completed the last painting of the “Out of India” series. It was late at night and I was alone in my studio space and took some time to look around at all the canvas and paint while recapping on the experience I had while travelling though India. When I first arrived in Mumbai alone with the intention of motorcycling through the country and making work based on the experience, it seemed like an impossible task and I questioned why I was there. I decided to just go with it, take the risk and travel the space with the intention that something interesting would happen; that I would discover the subject matter. 12 months later, standing in the studio with my paintings, thinking back to all the trials and set backs of the year, I was shocked to realize that I’d done what I’d set out to do.
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