Erin Michelle Willett
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About (Copy)

Artist Statement:   The lakes, rivers, mountains, and wildlife of my home in the Blue Ridge are all influences in which I draw inspiration and motivation. Through the abstraction of natural imagery and the landscape, I investigate dimensionality, form, and space. I explore how marks can exist simultaneously in both the 2nd and 3rd dimension within the picture plane through the variation in mark-making and the layering of materials. A brushstroke is simultaneously a 3-dimensional object—holding that it contains a physical presence and is made of material—and a part of a two-dimensional picture plane. The materiality and intentionality of the marks in the work are the decisive factors in how they communicate with the viewer above and beyond the subject matter of the image. My unwavering adoration to natural landscape and its endless potential to depict and abstract are the question and answer to my love of art making.

Biography:   I was born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia and completed my BFA from VCU in 2011 in Painting & Printmaking with a minor in Sculpture. Jack of all trades, I have worked in cabinetry, construction, web development, graphic design, customer service, hospitality, and commercial galleries. My artwork has been exhibited in several solo and group exhibitions in Richmond, VA and is held in the collection of numerous individuals and organizations including Capital One. I served as the Project Manager for 1708 Gallery's InLight Richmond from 2012 to 2015, I was the Gallery Assistant of Reynolds Gallery in 2015, and most recently, I was the Gallery Coordinator and Operations Manager for 1708 Gallery from 2016 - 2020. Currently, I am pursuing my Master’s of Art + Design at NC State and am the Graduate Extension Assistant for NC State Libraries Innovation Studio.