Look for a new art exhibit opening this weekend, featuring luminous paintings by local artist Ericka Wolf. Most of the paintings are for sale; a portion of the proceeds benefits UUC. The exhibit will hang until December 2. Unfortunately, the artist will not be hosting an Artist Reception.  But stop by the Art Learning Station in Nathan Johnson Hall during coffee hours on Sunday morning, October 22, to learn more about the artist and her work or if you’d like to purchase a painting.

Wolf is a native of the Pacific Northwest. She focuses on capturing the essence and duality of the sky in her paintings. She explains, “Art heals. It can be transcendent, offering solace and introspection to those who engage with it. I have come to realize that the sky, with its vast and timeless presence, possesses a healing power of its own.”

Research has shown that when a person gazes at the sky, certain areas of the brain are activated, especially those engaged during meditation, dreaming, or spiritual experiences. Mindful of these findings, Wolf uses painting as a way to explore complex human emotions, and hopes that viewers can find a sense of tranquility and feelings of solace in her work.

Each painting is created using layers of handmade oil paint, wax, and resin on birch panels. The artist uses brushes, palette knives, her fingertips, and even blowtorches. “Each sky painting is a reminder that regardless of the tumultuous state of our inner and outer world, shelter and renewed perspective can always be found within us,“ says Wolf. “We need only take a deep breath and look upward.”

Wolf has studied at the Gage Academy of Art, the NY Academy of Art, and the Grand Central Atelier. Her work has been featured in group and solo exhibitions in the Northwest, as well as in private and public collections and publications in the United State, the UK, and Australia. 

For more information, contact Judy Oerkvitz, Co-Chair, UUC Art Committee.