The first words written for this article were: Erica Kathleen, Artist and Genuine Spirit. The title struck me, and I realized the word order should be, as it is written now: Erika Kathleen ~ Genuine Spirit and Artist.
The first time I looked at Erika’s work, I was serendipitously in awe with the expression of each one of her pieces. Her bright color choice with the contrasting style of watercolor is powerful. It makes connecting with her work an experience.
However, what you really see in Erika Kathleen’s work is her spirit. You can tell she comes alive in her art.
Erika says it best on her personal bio at ErikaKathleen.com, as she voices:
I paint because I NEED to paint. I paint to express emotions. I paint to let things out of me, which if I didn’t paint, might never find their way out. I paint for my freedom. I paint for my sanity.
I couldn’t agree with her more! Erika’s work is brave, bold, and holds somewhat of an irreverent attitude. The words she paints alongside many of her subjects (a lot being angelic yet modern women), assert personal power.
New Roots 2
Her work just doesn’t push her own authentic agenda; it also reminds viewers of their personal majesty. ‘Truth’ is a reoccurring theme too. Many of her watercolors have different expressions about truth like the painting New Roots 2, where the words read – Truth: Brave Strong Warrior.
For Erika, her art is as real as it gets; which is revealed in the piece, Embrace Your Darkness. This portrait is Erika herself, embracing and staring into the eyes of a wolf. She reveals in the painting’s bio that she accidentally painted the wolf to be a reflection of herself, as is symbolized in both of their yellow-colored eyes. Painting the wolf’s eyes to be yellow, instead of blue, sparked the “ah-ha” moment for Erika, as she realized the wolf was her shadow self.
Embrace Your Darkness
This is why we at Mystic Mix love Erika Kathleen; she’s true to herself, she’s a warrior, and she’s hella genuine.
-Lauren Ashley
lauren@mysticmix.com
I Choose Peace
Medicine Woman
