About Erica Hauser
I draw from observation and imagination, and my compositions integrate the two. There is often a graphic design quality in my approach, especially ones based on text, signage, or flat printed vintage ephemera that I interpret in paint.
More recently I have seen a more abstract sensibility come into my work and I am excited by what is developing- using my love for color and composition in a different way. I think more about patterns and how shapes coexist with each other on a surface. Instead of immediately understanding what we are looking at, we allow another kind of perception to take over.
I am currently influenced by mid-century design and colors; a vintage and handmade aesthetic, such as hues made from natural dye plants which are earthy, subdued and vibrant all at once; the juicy punch of neon or the dull glow of antique metal all inspire my palette. My past jobs as firewood stacker and cookie decorator, along with nature, slow fashion, ceramics and typography influence shapes, objects, patterns. And subconsciously, cultural design elements from each decade I’ve been alive, plus the 50s and 60s. This last part has only recently occurred to me as my concept of time and nostalgia is starting to shift.
Some objects I isolate, to emphasize their form; in other paintings I create an environment, real or abstracted. My resonant impressions of what I see and photograph fill the spaces in between. I may find humor in signage and scale; I take pleasure in mixing paint and in exploring the effects of vivid or faded colors alongside each other on canvas or wood.
I am interested in how we describe who we ARE by what we choose to look at and think about. It is about gathering materials to see what we respond to. It is about observing, and about some of the formal and emotional decisions in play.
Painting lets me bring my objects back into the conversation, from one everyday life into another. As the objects/scenes I used to paint become harder to find, I have started to plumb my imagination of them, rather than their disappearing reality. They hold histories beyond my own. My intent is to seek where that pleasure and the wistfulness (nostalgia, real or imagined) intersect
Exhibitions:
(Selected Recent)
2019
'Explorations In Form' (through May 22) CMA Gallery, Mount St Mary College, Newburgh, NY
'Still Still Moving', Howland Center, Beacon, NY
2018
'Spectrum Gestalt 5', bG Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
'paintings and other', Catalyst Gallery, Beacon, NY
2017
'Memento', Concourse A Gallery
Albany International Airport, Albany, NY
'Paintings', North River Roasters, Poughkeepsie, NY (solo)
'Far & Wide', juried by Bruce Weber. Woodstock Artists Assoc & Museum, Woodstock, NY
Chocolate. A Group Show, Catalyst Gallery, Beacon, NY
Winter Gala: Black & White, Teran Studio, Newburgh, NY
2016
Catalyst Small Works, Catalyst Gallery, Beacon, NY
Artist & Maker Exhibition, juried by Kelly Schroer, Space Create, Newburgh, NY
Dotted Dream Scenic Byway, Oak Vino, Beacon, NY (solo)
Envisioning Dutchess, Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY
WORD, Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, Peekskill, NY
Road Trip, Gallery Underground, Arlington, VA
2015
Catalyst Small Works, Catalyst Gallery, Beacon, NY
'Dispatches From Eternity', Theo Ganz Studio, Beacon, NY
February, Edward Hopper House, Nyack, NY (solo)
'American Dream', Orange Regional Medical Center, Middletown, NY
Coffee and Donuts Show, Catalyst Gallery, Beacon, NY
2014
Small Matters of Great Importance, Edward Hopper House, Nyack, NY
Narcissism and the Self-Portrait, Ann St Gallery, Newburgh, NY
Famous For 12 Inches, Castle Fitzjohns Gallery, New York, NY
Line Forms Here, Catalyst Gallery, Beacon, NY
2013
'Art Of The Heirloom: 2014 Seed Art Packs', Anvil Gallery, Kingston, NY
'A Horse, Of Course', ArtsWestchester, White Plains, NY
Artists in Residence, Erpf Gallery, Catskill Center, Arkville, NY
NYFA 'MARK' Artists, Islip Art Museum, East Islip, NY
Retro Car and Art Show, Cornell St Studios, Kingston, NY
April Small Works, Woodstock Artists Association & Museum, Woodstock, NY
2012
Drive-By Gallery at Lift Trucks Project, Croton Falls, NY (solo)
Hudson Beach Glass Gallery, Beacon, NY (solo)
Road Trip, TastySpace Gallery, Las Vegas, NV (solo)
