Erica Campitelli

Erica is an abstract artist born in Toronto, Canada. Painting is her way of being present. It allows her to shut out all distractions while she explores colour and motion. In the studio, she gives no consideration to time or its constraints. And, while she never starts with a pre-conceptualized vision, once a painting is complete she can make sense of it and find meaning. With a canvas, she takes something that is blank and creates a personal narrative. Whatever she is wrestling with gets sorted, resolved, alleviated or elevated. Painting is a form of meditation, an escape, and ultimately her therapy.

There is a quote by Thomas Merton that resonates with her. He states that “art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time”. Merton explains how the production of art is a transitional state and is therefore representative of liminality. While painting she feels she reaches this in-between state. It’s trance-like, all-consuming and ultimately a safe space to explore. She believes it’s where her mind, body, and soul are able to connect.

Erica's paintings demonstrate a sense of balance and movement, generating and being a catalyst for emotional awakening. Through the use of blending, dragging and layering the paint, unique textures, shapes and colours form. A complimentary aesthetic is created through the finding of her "flow state" and her ability to work within it. Predominantly, she works with acrylic, chalk paint and oil on canvas or wood panels, wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry. However, she has been known to use paper or cork and dabble with other mediums such as pastels, charcoal, watercolour, alcohol ink and collage.

You can follow her on Instagram @artbyairstudio and see more of her art on her website www.artbyairstudio.wordpress.com. Her contact information is erica.campitelli@gmail.com and if interested in a studio visit, do reach out!