Erik Gran

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THE CAMPING, 1993-2009, 36hx45wx1.5"d, Acrylic on canvas, Figurative Work

CAMPING, 1993-2005, 36X45X1.5"d, acrylic on canvas, Erik Gran

THE CAMPING, 1993-2009, 36hx45wx1.5"d, Acrylic on canvas, Figurative Work | Media List

CAMPING, 1993-2005, 36X45X1.5"d, acrylic on canvas, Erik Gran

Statement

SHOWS,

Fragility, (Group Show) at Prove Gallery, Duluth, MN, January 2013. A group show celebrating the Fragility associated with winter.

Anger, Angst, And Art Show At Altered Aesthetics/ Aug 2-Aug 3, 2012

ARTIST STATEMENT (The Camping)

The painting CAMPING was first begun in 1993. I had the idea of a mythological Nordic cartoon like image which was going to be called THOR MAN OF THE WOODS or something like that. It was never completed and it always seemed unfinished to me. It sat in the studio until 2009 with only some small changes over the years. In 2009 I decided it was actually a painting about camping, which was an activity I have enjoyed most of my life.

It quickly became apparent, as the work progressed; this surreal dream image was not about enjoyment. Instead, it was an expressionistic painting about anger and angst with a psychological edge. It was about a camping trip gone wrong. There is figure of a man in the forefront looking out in bewilderment as he gazes out in to the night time forest. There are trees, foliage, two moons, cartoon like birds and an owl; which is also a figure many people have interpreted as a bear. The owl might be hooting or the bear might be growling, and we can imagine the sounds of other forest creatures, only adding to the sense of confusion and anxiety.

The woman in the upper right part of the picture is clearly in distress. Her form and demeanor remind me of the figure in the Edward Munch painting, THE SCREAM. We can only imagine her anger and dread for being brought to this place, which is also a feeling we see mirrored in the anxious facial expressions of the frontal male figure.

After I completed the painting I showed it to an artist friend who does not like camping. He commented how the work certainly captures the essence of a camping trip.

Although we sense the feelings of dread, anxiety, and anger in the painting there is also a sense of comic relief which was, perhaps, there from the beginning when the painting was started in 1993. We can sympathize with the ordeal of these individuals (whatever it might be), and at the same time we can smile at their predicament.

Gran/2012, (Happy Camping!)

Reviews

Duluth News Tribune

Art Shows Can Chase Away Winter Blahs

Published January 10, 2013

Prove Gallery

"Fragility" opening 7-11 p.m., Friday, 21 Lake Avenue

...Twelve artists have pieces in the show that speak to the idea of fragility.

This could be a tortured figure on a camping trip gone, leaf like paper cuttings, a large scale graphic drawing or mechanical art. Featured artists include David Andree, Peter Fitzpatrick, Erik Gran, Justin Hendstrom, Jill Holmen, Catherine Johnson, Tim Kaiser, Brent Kustermann, Catherine Meier, Alonso Sierralya, and Lagoon.

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