The appeal in Erickson's painting is partly due to its spontaneous unchecked expression of energy. The surface is very sensual. You get the feeling of the artist's physical involvement with the canvas in the creative process, especially in recent paintings from the 'Mercury and Lumens' series,' which seem to invert the painting process. The surface of the canvas is covered with what feels like textured pigment of the darkest black, a varied bright color and some with gold leaf applied. Beneath the surface are the markings of a painting underneath. Our imagination must reconstruct the painting from what is only hinted at. Looking at these works is like discovering Pompeii beneath ancient lava as though the paint was pulled from the canvas to reveal its underside. His 'Mercury' series is a fine example of the archeological approach to contemporary painting.

His work originated in theory from Abstract Expressionism, where at mid 20th Century, was a groundbreaking revolution in American art, it now becomes a rich tradition and point of departure. Influences of painters of the 1950s are evident in Mark's work, yet the direction is Erickson's own, clearly felt as the paintings breath the fresh air of contemporary thought. The works on metal appear as if somehow you abstracted a modern day color cartoon, word bubbles and all, twisted and turned it inside out. History has always been important to Erickson. He chronicles his work carefully, keeping what works for him and incorporating it into new concepts of visual expression. Titles suggest elements of his own history and development. Some reflect the names and places of the varied places he has lived, and from the western influences of the Swedish and Great Plains background of his father, to the eastern New York art and cultural influences of his mother. DeKooning once noted that all paintings are in the long run either landscapes, portraits or still lifes. In Erickson's work, they are decidedly landscapes, but the terrain traveled is sometimes uncharted and is as internal as it is external.

Mark Erickson was born in Hollywood, California. His early education was completed in California, Germany and Italy. He is a product of his experience on both continents and a family history combining the traditions of East Coast aestheticism and Wild West freedom. His mother and grandmother were New York artists. They studied under Hans Hoffman and knew Franz Kline before and after World War II. Erickson's father was an jet aircraft designer and pilot, his father's father a cowboy and a Marshal in the Dakota Territory. Mark's grandparents, Frank and Clara Erickson were born, respectively in Stockholm and Landskrona, Sweden.

After attending university in Europe and in Southern California, Erickson moved to San Francisco. He completed his education at the Art Institute, Academy of Art and the University of San Francisco. He has had one-man shows in Frankfurt, Germany, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans, and has collectors from across America and Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, England, Hong Kong, France and Australia.

Mark's work has evolved steadily and contains a confidence and maturity gained only by dedication and talent. Sometimes the paintings have a more urban energy with whirring colors flying across a brightly lit metropolis. The shapes, so perfectly formed, propel the pigment off the surface of the canvas. Erickson, transforming the flat plane, breathes life and depth into his paintings and pulls the viewer into the experience. He does this by modulating color against color and form against form in such a way that you feel you can travel within the work.

Donna Seager
Written for an exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana, 2007

Mark Erickson

tel: (510) 893-2800
e-mail: mark@markerickson.com
web site: www.markerickson.com