Interior Refuge: Paintings and Pillows by Erica Steiner
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Vintage by Design presents:
Interior Refuge: Paintings and Pillows by Erica Steiner
Opening Reception: November 16, 5pm - 7pm
On view: November 16, 2013 through December 30, 2013
Artist will be in attendance
October 7, 2013, San Francisco, CA--Beginning on November 16, 2013 and on view through December 30, 2013, San Francisco-based artist Erica Steiner will be showing a solo collection of works at Vintage by Design in Occidental, CA. Steiner has been exhibiting her artwork nationwide for more than a decade, but this will be the first time in her career to present a solo body of work in her home territory of Sonoma County. In addition to a selection of her paintings from the past five years, Steiner will also debut a line of pillows constructed from prints of her work on luscious fabrics and plush materials.
Interior Refuge: Paintings and Pillows represents a homecoming for Erica Steiner, who was born and raised in rural Sonoma County, the topography and idyllic natural beauty of which represent a source of deep archetypal resonance and nostalgic tension within the language of her work. The concept of a psychic interior world, which permeates the artist’s work, finds a symbolically apt outlet in the richly sourced aesthetic of Vintage by Design, a vintage interior design shop that specializes in assisting people to make ‘interior refuges’ of their own homes with unique objects from faraway times and places.
Interior Refuge will assemble paintings both new and previously exhibited that inspect notions of the interior, the internal, the private and the intimate. Steiner’s work defers to the symbolic language of nature, but her representations of the natural world--trees, volcanoes, foliage, water--are more like distant echoes of the things themselves. These bewitched reverberations of a shared reality create haunting and otherworldly landscapes, richly textured with saturated colors and ornamental flourishes that evoke the calm utopia of an elysian resting place.
Alternating between compositions of alternative landscapes and rhythmic abstraction, Steiner’s work interlaces organic form with highly detailed pattern work. Steiner examines her imagery on a microscopic level, categorizing the cellular makeup of her fantastical vistas like a botanist carefully records the minutia of a new orchid species. The artist categorizes the texture of her imagery on its most base level--shapes and forms are duplicated and studied from all angles creating textile-like patterns that create the illusion of a depth of surface even on the two-dimensional plane. In Steiner’s paintings, layers appear as if they can be removed or material unraveled as one might feel when viewing a richly elaborate textile.
The reference to textile in Steiner’s work is openly acknowledged by the artist herself and has long been an inspiration in creating art. A design enthusiast, Steiner saw an opportunity to reproduce her images onto textiles--adds Steiner:
I love that pillows are a soft place to rest a weary head; I like to think of my paintings as being a place for the potentially world weary mind/heart/soul to rest and refuel. For years people have been asking me to turn my work into textiles—people say “I want to wear your paintings, I want to wrap myself in them…I want sleep in them!” Since I happen to have a throw pillow fetish myself (I love that pillows offer such a simple way to make a big impact in an environment), pillows seemed like a natural place to start. And since Vintage by Design happens to be an amazing interior design shop rather than a traditional gallery, it felt like the perfect time to begin the exciting journey of bridging my fine art practice with my passion for interior design. Ultimately, I want to create ecstatically beautiful environments that help people remember who they truly are, whether on canvas or in the home.
Interior Refuge: Paintings and Pillows will be on view from November 16 through December 30, 2013 with an opening reception from 5-7pm on November 16. The artist will be in attendance and the event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.
Erica Steiner was born in Santa Rosa, CA and currently lives and works in San Francisco, CA. Steiner received a BA in 1995 at Mills College, Oakland, CA and an MFA in creative writing at New College, San Francisco, CA in 2000. She’s been exhibiting her artwork since 2002 in both group and solo shows in California and beyond. Her work has been featured in numerous publications, including Juxtapoz, Lost at E Minor and Redefine Magazine.
Vintage by Design is a vintage furniture boutique located in the heart of Occidental, CA, in Sonoma County. Vintage by Design carries vintage furniture that is not only cool but is also a sustainable alternative to the disposable, mass-manufactured furniture that pervades our lives. With vintage furniture, you can find unique pieces created with a mind toward quality and craftsmanship at prices that are affordable and objects that are built to last.
For more information:
Erica Steiner
Vintage by Design
3692 Bohemian Hwy, Occidental, CA