Biography of Erin Bohlmann
biography :: gallery :: contact
"Why do I paint? Why do you breathe?"Above all else, Erin is an artist. Whether she's using watercolor, or coloring your hair, creation has been at the root of everything she's done since before she would walk.
Born December 15, 1983, Erin began expressing herself through images shortly thereafter. Her earliest expressions included a drawing of a man in a top hat and glasses, done in purple crayon. While never having been formally shown, her mother is happy to bring it out for appreciative visitors. Erin also painted murals to decorate bedroom walls for herself and her sister and at the age of 8 began study under Faye Holland, which focused on personal renditions of Impressionist pieces and culminated in her first show, at the age of 10.
She continued to hone her talents as she grew, and was enrolled in the Running Start program, earning both high school and college-level credit focusing on both drawing and ceramics, while simultaneously receiving private training under Lee Wexler. Wexler's instruction worked to further enhance Erin's drawing and he was most impressed buy Erin's ability to keep herself focused and motivated, even during periods with no formal instruction or encouragement.
It wasn't until the age of 20 that Erin began painting with watercolor. She quickly found herself amazed by the potential of the medium, and the range of possibilities if afforded the artist, so she began acquiring books on the topic as well as artwork from other artists versed in the medium. She has been completely self-taught in her watercolor technique and is endlessly pursuing new methods for evolving within this vibrant, multi-faceted medium.
Erin achieves the 'solid' look of her artwork through the many layers of color
she uses to create a feeling of weight and depth, as well as the bright, bold
colors that serve as her signature. Her subjects range from fantasies to angels;
dragons to Alice in Wonderland. Her paintings reflect the range and depth of
her own imagination, and the limits to either are without measure.
Erin's influences include: Amy Brown, Brom, Brian Froud and many others. She has completed her beauty school education, and currently works for a salon on the east side, but when if comes to her art, she creates as she lives: In Seattle, surrounded by many friends and two black cats.