Shari Erickson

American contemporary painter Shari Erickson gained early recognition as a figurative muralist in her home town of Atlanta. After graduating with honors from The Ringling School of Art, she became an accomplished drawing instructor, potter, and jewelry designer.

From early on, this artist's personal focus has been the creative contemplation of the human form. This remains at the heart of her authority, while the exploration of light and bold color always infuses her work.

Among others, USAir and Liat Air have published her images to promote their island destinations. The U.S. Department of the Interior chose Erickson's work for its Virgin Islands Park service publications. She has designed book covers for Macmillan - Caribbean publishers. And recently she is translating her tropical designs into textile applications. See examples of press and media coverage of Shari Erickson and her tropical art.

Although she spends much of her time exploring the Caribbean with artist husband Douglas Kahle Gifford, many of her Alkyd-oil, A la Prima studies are completed in their Smoky Mountains studio.

Shari Erickson's images of the tropical kind are currently exhibited throughout the Southeast and the West Indies.

"Erickson's uncluttered island vignettes are characterized by an assured use of color, an elemental grasp of human movement, and her deceptively straightforward painting style that achieves an elegant simplicity."
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