A statement from the artist:

After living in many places around the states and world, Erika Broser finally put roots down in the Driftless area in 2002 where she has since raised three daughters. Erika is currently a full-time faculty member at Youth Initiative High School, teaching in the Arts and Math.

Erika received her B.A in Art and Psychology and went on to a master’s program in Art Therapy at The Naropa Institute. The expressive approach to personal process and healing is foundational to Erika's work. Done in watercolor, ink, and gold leaf, her work is a collection of impressions of places lived, family heritage, and personal symbolism, which are present in the reflections of memory and experiences from Erika's past and present. Her work serves as both an acknowledgment of sorrow and a celebration of life.

Plus, a few fun questions!

What is influencing your work at the moment?

Time, or lack of it. Balancing parenting, teaching, and painting is an ongoing struggle.  My daughter tells me I need to learn to paint in small moments when I have them.

How did you come to focus on your current subject? 

I’m not sure how to answer this.  I think that painting is for me what journaling might be for others.  It’s the best way for me to process my life, make decisions and grow.  

Can you articulate what draws you to a particular composition?

Not really, the composition of each piece usually unfolds as I’m working. I tend to start with one part of the painting and then build from there.  It’s all based on what feels right and how the images are connected to the story I’m painting.

Who or what has strongly influenced your work?

My dad.

If you could have one work of art in your home from a museum or private collection, what would it be?

Picasso’s “Two Children”  I got a postcard of this painting at the Picasso museum when I was little and have carried it around with me ever since. 

Why did you decide to work in your chosen medium?

I began painting with oils.  In graduate school, I experimented with acrylic, collage, and mixed media.  In 2014 I did an artist residency in Greece and took watercolors with me because they were easier to travel.  I fell in love and haven’t used anything since.  Watercolors, for me, are a metaphor for life. They require a delicate balance of control and letting go.  The magic happens when I have a vision but can trust and allow the paint to guide and surprise me.

What’s the most indispensable item in your studio?

My Dagger Striper brush, my favorite mechanical pencils, and my .003 microns.

How do you know when a piece of work is finished? 

I step away from each painting throughout the process and sit with it; it will inevitably let me know when the story is complete or at a stopping point for that piece.

From where do you draw your inspiration?

My life and my relationships.

What does your studio look like?

I don’t have what would be considered a proper studio.  I live in a very small house, and I work on a beautiful 8-foot-long table made from an old door with an old hutch that is home to all of my materials.