{"id":2458501,"date":"2020-05-16T00:02:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-16T06:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=325776"},"modified":"2020-05-16T07:17:30","modified_gmt":"2020-05-16T13:17:30","slug":"artist-chris-erickson-finds-new-beginnings-during-stay-home-period","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/artist-chris-erickson-finds-new-beginnings-during-stay-home-period\/","title":{"rendered":"Artist Chris Erickson finds new beginnings during stay-home period"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/berickson-atd-021420-3-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/berickson-atd-021420-3-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/berickson-atd-021420-3-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/berickson-atd-021420-3-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/berickson-atd-021420-3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/berickson-atd-021420-3-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Works from Chris Erickson&#8217;s &#8220;superULTRAmega&#8217; series at Straighline Studios in Snowmass Base Village, where Erickson opened a solo show in Feburary.<\/strong><br \/><em>Courtesy photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Chris Erickson was likely the most-exhibited artist in the Aspen area for about a year-long stretch that ended with the novel coronavirus shutdown.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Carbondale-based sculptor and painter enjoyed a breakout fine art run that included five exhibitions, among them his <a id=\"N0x117fd80N0x1148b20:N0x117fd80N0xfca0b0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/entertainment\/odyssey-collective-at-the-red-brick-brings-together-three-roaring-fork-valley-artists\/\">Odyssey Collective group show<\/a> at the Red Brick Center for the Arts, the <a id=\"N0x117fd80N0x1148b80:N0x117fd80N0xfca140\" href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/entertainment\/in-imagine-climate-artists-get-creative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">billboard-based \u201cImagine Climate\u201d project<\/a> launched by the Community Office of Resource Efficiency and a well-received <a id=\"N0x117fd80N0x1148be0:N0x117fd80N0xfca1d0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/entertainment\/chris-erickson-a-painter-trapped-in-a-sculptors-mind-at-straightline-studio-in-snomwass\/\">solo exhibition at the new Straight Line Studio<\/a> in Snowmass Village.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The works he\u2019d been showing and selling included his ongoing \u201cMole\u00a9ules\u201d and \u201csuperULTRAmega\u201d series, the former a blend of cultural commentary with molecular imagery on irregularly shaped woodcuts and the latter more abstract paintings on wood.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt was great and fun to deal with various art entities in the valley and get this momentum,\u201d he said. \u201cThen everything shut down. So it\u2019s a little bittersweet.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Though the Straight Line show ended early as the gallery shuttered in mid-March, Erickson had been planning for a quieter spring spent generating ideas for new work, while also finishing construction of his new home in Carbondale, which suited the stay-home period.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He expects he\u2019ll end up responding to the pandemic in the \u201cMole\u00a9ules\u201d series, in which he\u2019s previously found clever and comedic ways to visually comment on socio-political issues in recent years. But it\u2019s not yet directly showing up in his artwork.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201dI\u2019ve taken the isolation period seriously and basically spent all my time with one person, my girlfriend, so it\u2019s really just emphasized out relationship,\u201d he explained. \u201cI think some of the work is reflecting that and the opportunity to get to know one person better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He\u2019s stayed in touch with artist friends throughout the crisis, commiserating about their sometimes ambivalent or uninspired creative states as well as the struggle to sell art online.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI go through this thing about art where it often feels self-indulgent and maybe narcissistic,\u201d he said. \u201cI go through that cycle of \u2018What is the meaning?\u2019 \u2018What is the purpose?\u2019 And I\u2019m trying to infuse some kind of message for the greater good in it. That\u2019s what I\u2019m working out now: How to express some message or meaning that would resonate with how people are feeling right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Erickson has applied for economic assistance including a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, but the COVID-19 lockdown also coincided with a planned slowdown of his exhibition schedule.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The larger economic struggle for Erickson is with his custom design and d\u00e9cor business, Prop, which depends largely on private parties and events for clients.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While working on the house through the stay-home period, he\u2019s mostly focused his creative energies sketchbook he always carries with him as he hasn\u2019t had access to his usual creative bases. Erickson was in the process of moving out of his downvalley fabrication studio when the stay-home orders came down, and his painting studio at Carbondale\u2019s Studio for Arts + Works closed due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s been disrupted but I\u2019ve maintained a little bit of a normal routine with the sketchbook,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Without his usual tools, he\u2019s also made forays into a new medium: Erickson has been making stop-motion animation films over the past two months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The public is starting to get a virtual look at what he\u2019s been developing in his sketchbook.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The local public health closures ended Erickson\u2019s Straight Line show early, but the gallery <a id=\"N0x117fd80N0x1148c40:N0x117fd80N0xfcaa40\" href=\"https:\/\/www.straightlinestudiollc.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">has moved online<\/a> with additional pieces for sale attuned to the ongoing virus-caused economic crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The prices of Erickson\u2019s new Straight Line work top out at $250. The pieces include small 5-by-8 inch black-and-white ink-on-paper pieces from Erickson\u2019s sketchbook and his \u201cBoobs\u201d series of resin-on-wood sculptural paintings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\"><a href=\"mailto:atravers@aspentimes.com\">atravers@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/artist-chris-erickson-finds-new-beginnings-during-stay-home-period\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Works from Chris Erickson&#8217;s &#8220;superULTRAmega&#8217; series at Straighline Studios in Snowmass Base Village, where Erickson opened a solo show in Feburary.Courtesy photo Chris Erickson was likely the most-exhibited artist in the Aspen area for about a year-long stretch that ended with the novel coronavirus shutdown. The Carbondale-based sculptor and painter enjoyed a breakout fine art [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2458501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-17 15:43:11","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2458501"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2458507,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458501\/revisions\/2458507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2458501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2458501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2458501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}