mnartists.org: Erik Akre

Still Life with Apple and Pencils

Erik Akre — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 22:40:11 GMT

This painting is not characteristic, although it may hint at a new direction in the distant future. I guess it's a personal statement of two careers: making art and teaching. This is an acrylic piece, 20" x 26".

Sun Behind Clouds

Erik Akre — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 22:35:23 GMT

I have an interest in the mandala, and it stems in part from having painted this. The "clouds" are a texturized acrylic medium that I tried. They look a little like a raised, rough surface of concrete, in dark purple. The piece is 36" x 36" square.

Black Eyed Susan II

Erik Akre — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 22:22:42 GMT

This is a pastel study of our black eyed susans, on pastel paper. It's small, 12.5" x 12.5", but framed very nicely in gold and green.

Europe

Erik Akre — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 22:18:37 GMT

The idea behind this mixed media piece is really just the color red, along with "maps" and what they mean. It's a slight departure from the other works in this series. It's 19" x 24", and it's framed nicely to match the other continents.

South America

Erik Akre — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 13:14:46 GMT

My maps are explorations of color, mostly, and shape--the shapes of the continents. These shapes are actually very abstract, and to me they work well for exploring texture and color and geometry. This is a mixed media work on bristol, 24" x 19," and it is framed very beautifully.

North America

Erik Akre — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 18:14:36 GMT

My map series is primarily a study in color and shape, but there may be some commentary on "mapping" as well. This piece is mixed media on bristol, 24" x 19." It is currently framed in high quality material.

Spiderwort

Erik Akre — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 15:41:30 GMT

These grasses flower so beautifully along the eastern side of our house. I was happy to finally attempt to capture them on canvas. The yellow is intended for augmentation and contrast, inspired by the color of the flowers and the shape of the leaves. This is oil on canvas, 28" x 28".

Spring Flowers

Erik Akre — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 15:38:18 GMT

I painted a spring bouquet from a sunny tabletop and later continued with a substratification of geometric designs. This is oil on canvas, 24" x 21".

Fire Under the Mountain

Erik Akre — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 14:38:16 GMT

This was an attempt to express the power of Earth. I've always loved the idea of plate tectonics, and I guess that's where this piece started. I also really caught on to painting in acrylics through this piece. It's acrylic on canvas, 32" x 48".

Black Eyed Susan I

Erik Akre — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 14:33:03 GMT

This was my first hit on using flowers as inspiration. The improvised patch of black eyed susans in the front yard just struck me one day. The geometry flows instinctively and intuitively from the flower image. This is oil on canvas, 20" x 16", currently framed very nicely.

Iris

Erik Akre — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 10:23:12 GMT

This is a geometric meditation on a flower from our spring garden. There is also a concept of "release" born out in the painting, at least from my perspective, in the umber geometry. This is oil on canvas, 20" x 22", currently in a quality frame.