Man's Ritual Painting

Erick’s work is a culmination of multicultural translations, interpretations and builds upon the foundation of human relationships. His usage of organic forms expresses the fundamental connections we have as humans and our dependencies - with ourselves, families, religion, society - all of which makes us inevitably closer. Erick was born in the small town of Guerrero, Chihuahua, situated in the northern part of Mexico’s Sierra Madre forest. Isolated yet rich in culture, the town’s population was comprised of native indians (Raramuri), European immigrants (from Spain, Germany) and different religious groups (Mormons, Jewish). As a child, he frequently interacted with these vastly different cultures, observing the differences in language, food, and cultural aesthetics. This led to an appreciation and adoption of pan-cultural expressionism, inclusive of its intra/inter-relationships and dependencies. He also traveled across the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas and New Mexico, contrasting the cultural makeup of his native homeland. Surrounded by mountains, canyons and pine forests, at a young age Erick began painting, sculpting and creating collages as a necessity to explain the differences between people he interacted with daily. Annual summer trips to southern Mexico brought an additional appreciation of the rich yet raw cultural complexity of Mexico’s mestizo population. Erick earned a BFA from the University of Texas, El Paso in both Graphic Design and Printmaking, and minored in Painting. During his undergrad studies, he continued his travels across Central and South America, further developing his passion for expressing the human connection that transcends cultural and international borders. After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles, Calif. and began his career in Graphic Design. Erick’s further global travel across Asia and Europe led to the realization of cultural complexities. Living among strikingly different cultural groups with unique cultures and languages, he quickly came to realize that amid differences, there lay a universal commonality of being human - “they are me.” This provided an avenue into experimenting with organic forms to explain the connection shared between and among humans. He currently lives in Seattle, Washington and continues his work in expressing these key connections.