Artist Statement

My work investigates space and place through growth and decay of urban/suburban and natural environments. Elements from disparate places inform the painting and create an imagined world that invokes a sense of reality. The tension between man-made “place” and the natural environment is epitomized through the lens of a hypothetical bird’s eye view. The result is evocative of the organized chaos of a road map that has been highly sensationalized.

The elements of the painting itself are a metaphor for the construction of human architecture in conjunction with nature, and an individual’s relationship with these. Form and line evolve through the process of painting and assert themselves as entities, defining space and composition in the painting, just as the structure and pieces of a building create new spatial relationships as it is built. Layering of the paint through color represents the change over time that we experience in the environment around us, just as nature regenerates itself after a disaster, or cities and towns expand. Our daily routine and existence is defined by the sense of place we inhabit, and our familiar world is a partial construction of our subconscious. My paintings come from the subconscious, yet are physical and real in their existence.

Artist CV

EDUCATION
2008 Master of Fine Arts
Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts, New Brunswick, NJ
2006 Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, Studio Art Program - Painting
Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 
2004 Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Studio Art (High Honors), Economics (Honors)

EXHIBITIONS
2012
Departure, Pie Footwear, Portland OR
Paintings, Tint Salon, Portland, OR

2011

Between Sea and Sky, Fireplace Gallery, Mt Hood Community College, Gresham, OR
Cascade AIDS Project Art Auction, Portland OR
Call & Response, CODA Gallery, Portland OR
Open Wide, The Stables, Portland OR
Relevant, The Mill Gallery, Honeoye Falls, NY
SE Art Walk, CODA Gallery, Portland OR

2010

The Ripple, Keen Warehouse, Portland OR
Musings of Summer, Blu Salon, Portland OR
Cascade AIDS Project Art Auction, Portland, OR
Recent Paintings, Clemente’s, Astoria, OR

2009

The Big 100, Portland City Art, Portland, OR
The Ripple Effect, Inspiring sustainable lifestyle changes through individual, innovative artistic efforts, Portland OR
Erica Melville Paintings @ACME, Portland, OR 
A Prelude to Warmth, Aaron Gallery, Washington DC
Cascade AIDS Project Art Auction, Portland, OR
Group Show, Great Notions Gallery, Portland, OR

2008 

ISE Cultural Foundation Student Art Exhibition, New York, NY
Fresh Meat/ Young Blood, Shore Institute for Contemporary Art, Long Branch, NJ
MFA Thesis Exhibition, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

2007

The Scavenger Hunter's Cookbook, CoLAB Arts, Highland Park, NJ 
Welcome Back, Exhibition of 2nd Year Graduate Students and Faculty, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

2006 
MFA First Year Show, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
AIDS Care Group Fundraiser,  Harrah's, Chester, PA
Boston Young Contemporaries, Juried by Kiki Smith, Gideon Bok, & Laura Donaldson at Boston University, Boston, MA
On the Verge, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
She, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA 

2005 
Visual Prospects, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 

2004 
Drawing Show, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 
Holiday Show, F. Scott Gallery, Sudbury, MA
Seniority, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

2003 
In Progress, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Painting Exhibition, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

HONORS/SCHOLARSHIPS  
2009 Cascade Aids Project Art Auction, Honorable Mention, Portland, OR
2008 Paul Robeson Emerging Young Artist Award, Rutgers University, NJ
2006-2007 Robert Watts Memorial Scholarship, Rutgers University, NJ
2005-2006 Visual Arts Scholarship, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
2004 Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
2001-2004 Dean's List, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
2000-2004 Presidential Scholar, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

ARTIST RESIDENCY
2006 Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT

PUBLICATIONS
2011 Relevant, exhibition catalog of HF-L Alumni
2010 Studio Visit Magazine, Open Studios Press
2009 Cascade AIDS Project Art Auction Catalog
2008 Studio Visit Magazine, Volume Four, Open Studios Press
2008 Mason Gross School of the Arts MFA Catalog