Erica Hawkes nearly went into fashion design, but chose instead to turn her back on the big city in favour of a painterB次元官网网址檚 life.

The contemporary landscape artist is known for paintings that create a sense of atmospheric movement above idyllic panoramas. Erica says painting landscapes is her B次元官网网址渢ruest love.B次元官网网址�

The artist earned a degree in fashion design, studying in Colorado and Vancouver, but didnB次元官网网址檛 want to settle in a large city centre like New York or Toronto where haute couture thrives.

B次元官网网址淚 love fashion, but it was more about where you needed to live to be a good fashion designer,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not a big-city girl. I find IB次元官网网址檓 more of a smaller city type of person.B次元官网网址�

Erica grew up in Prince George, and nature has been a defining part of her life since childhood. She became accustomed to long walks along a gravel road near her home with her family.

B次元官网网址淲e werenB次元官网网址檛 city mice. We had a lot of northern lights, we had moose and bear; it was just really nice, peaceful and quiet,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淲e werenB次元官网网址檛 allowed to watch TV very much, so I read and I drew. ThatB次元官网网址檚 all I did with my time. I had a lot of time to practice.B次元官网网址�

After getting her degree, Erica settled with her husband and two children in West Kelowna, where she works in a bright and spacious studio on the lower level of her home. There, sheB次元官网网址檚 surrounded by works in progress. When she gets bored with a colour scheme or has a certain mix of colours left on her palette, Erica says, sheB次元官网网址檒l switch to work on a different painting.

B次元官网网址淪ometimes IB次元官网网址檒l put something aside, maybe IB次元官网网址檓 not sure which direction itB次元官网网址檚 going. It could sit in my studio for a couple of months looking at me,B次元官网网址� she says with a laugh.

Calling herself a B次元官网网址渨orker bee,B次元官网网址� Erica often paints 10 to 12 hours a day, finishing about 100 paintings a year.

She estimates that over the past decade sheB次元官网网址檚 completed about 1,000 works.

B次元官网网址淚 think everyone has a gift to create something in some way,B次元官网网址� she says.

As a 20-something, her art-with-a-conscience led to a starving-artist phase. She paid her bills with a variety of jobs, working as a nanny, teacher, photographer and book illustrator. Erica kept her hand in the arts, selling portraits of people and their pets.

Eventually, she transitioned into landscapes.

B次元官网网址淚 started with this style that I called cubist impressionismB次元官网网址攊t was all angles and sharp lines. It was beautiful and it was fun but it wasnB次元官网网址檛 all me. It didnB次元官网网址檛 feel like it had flow for me.B次元官网网址�

Her style has evolved into something she describes as B次元官网网址淣ouveau 7,B次元官网网址� inspired by iconic Canadian artists in The Group of Seven, who pushed the boundaries of landscape art. She also blends in elements from the Art Nouveau movement.

B次元官网网址淚t permeated the world in the 1900s. It was such a beautiful movement. I donB次元官网网址檛 think anything quite matched it for me in my mind,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淭hey broke from the traditional style. They were the leaders in this impressionistic style. ItB次元官网网址檚 got colour and movement, but itB次元官网网址檚 not perfect and thatB次元官网网址檚 what I love about it. It has its own voice and it feels fresh and new.B次元官网网址�

Many of EricaB次元官网网址檚 paintings start as photographs. She melds pictures of scenery with different pictures of skies to make her own images.

B次元官网网址淚 take way too many photos. I have a phone full of photos, and my computer is full of photos,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 have enough space to put my images from my phone onto my computerB次元官网网址攖hatB次元官网网址檚 how bad it is.B次元官网网址�

Over the years, Erica has worked with numerous materials, including graphite, acrylic, water colour, India ink and oil.

Erica notes her style is continuing to evolve. SheB次元官网网址檚 taken a keen interest in depicting trees through her Nouveau 7 style.

B次元官网网址淭rees have personalities and a feel to them,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淭rees are my challenge. They are the thing I probably will keep learning my whole life.B次元官网网址�

She adds: B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 exciting to get better, but sometimes IB次元官网网址檒l look back on something and go, B次元官网网址業 wish I had taken that out.B次元官网网址� ThereB次元官网网址檚 always room to improve. ThatB次元官网网址檚 something that is human.B次元官网网址�

EricaB次元官网网址檚 paintings are showing in seven galleries. In the Okanagan, her works can be seen in Tutt Street Art Gallery in Kelowna and The Lloyd Gallery in Penticton.

B次元官网网址淭he tricky part about being a gallery artist is that people will buy what they love specifically, but then if you do something different thatB次元官网网址檚 maybe outside of the box a little bit, itB次元官网网址檚 a harder sell. IB次元官网网址檓 walking a fine line trying to figure it out.B次元官网网址�

She says, B次元官网网址淭he sunset on the lake is such a popular theme that I can paint it almost from memory now.B次元官网网址�

Erica hopes some of her works will become so beloved that they will live on.

B次元官网网址淚 hope that my art can survive in someoneB次元官网网址檚 home for long periods, that itB次元官网网址檚 good enough that it becomes part of the family for generations,B次元官网网址� she says.

To learn more about the artist, visit .

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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