A highly versatile creator, Erin uses all sorts of materials to create her unique pieces: from graphite drawings, to oil paintings, to mixed media marvels that incorporate textiles and looming in their intricate display. Her work has been featured in galleries and exhibitions across Boston and New York, and is currently available to view and purchase on her website, erinkerbert.com.
We could not be more proud to have Erin in the Linda Cabot Design family, and are thrilled to share her story as this month’s last entry in our Maker Monday series – highlighting the artists and makers behind the work that we love. Read on for Erin’s reflections on her artmaking style, and the neverending potential of creative expression.
Reflective Façade, Erin Kerbert
What was your earliest exposure to creating art?
I grew up dancing. It the first type of art that I felt truly connected to, starting at the age of six. I participated in rehearsals, recitals, competitions, and weekly classes. It was my freshman year of high school that I took an art class – my first exposure to visual art. I haven’t stopped creating since!
What is your favorite medium to create with?
I find it impossible to stick to one medium. I love working with all types of material: graphite, pen, acrylic paint, watercolor, oil paint, or even using the structure of a loom to weave together a painting made of many materials. One material I always love revisiting, though, is oil paint on canvas – the medium has a way of letting the physically impossible be possible in painting.
If you have a company, when did you start it, and what led you to enter into business?
I don’t have a company, but I guess I’ve developed a sort of *artist brand.* I created my website, erinkerbert.com in undergrad (it’s been updated since, of course). My site has a portfolio of selected works and an online shop with many prints and original works available for purchase.
Shut in Delirium, Erin Kerbert
Who or what are your biggest creative influences?
Sheila Hicks, Josef Albers, Eva Hesse, Josephine Halvorson, Orly Genger, Stella McCartney, Sol Lewitt, Ed Smith, to name a few.
How do you incorporate sustainability into your creative process?
In my studio practice, I try to incorporate and reuse material that may otherwise be thrown away. I think some of my work lends itself to the conversation around repurposing and what it means to do so.
Sewing Box Perfume, Erin Kerbert
How has the pandemic affected your work, if at all? How have you adapted?
Since the pandemic, I’ve redone my website, making online prints and original artwork available for purchase. Sadly, art-viewing must be virtual (for now), so I adapted my [corner of the Internet.]
How do you overcome a creative block?
I choose an interesting recent photo from my iPhone’s camera reel [and] trace all or some parts of the image. There’s a lot you can do with a graphite drawing on a piece of tracing paper!
What is bringing you joy right now?
My studio assistant, Jojo 🙂
https://www.animalrescueri.org/
What do you see as your mission as a creative?
I view art-making as a means of seeing, understanding and transcribing thoughts & ideas. Exploring this and observing the outcome [of expressing each thought or painting] keeps me making. There are endless visual ideas to be explored!
How have you grown as an artmaker since you started creating professionally?
I have learned that it is impossible stop growing as an artist.
Erin showcases her artwork on her Instagram profile, @erin_kerbert. She also has select pieces available for purchase on her website, erinkerbert.com.
