Erik Parra | Erika Lee Sears

We are pleased to announce our final summer exhibition. Two artists approaching interiors and still life from their own unique perspective. Parra's work is steeped in symbolism and specific cultural references - a homage to mid-century modern. Having grown up in Texas in a mid-century home, Parra's subject matter speaks to a personal nostalgia, the role that place and the objects within our spaces speak to us in varied ways.

Sears' work references ephemeral moments: a plate of fruit, a dramatic shadow cast upon a thriving plant -- all quiet narratives taking places in one's interior setting. There is a real essence of life in Sears' thick brush stokes, specks of light playing off rainbow shadows. Her singular subject matter becomes an object of contemplation, reminding us of the simple joys in our daily lives.

"Architecture is supposed to keep us safe. To achieve this simple directive, we must navigate a complex system which effects both our personal and cultural psyches. We share experiences of a built environment colored by personal, political and practical realities that often feel simultaneously antagonistic and comforting. I make paintings and drawings that engage the visual tropes of contemporary spaces to reveal and revise the stories embedded in the environments we build."

—Erik Parra

"It’s in the everyday that we see our everyday. I paint to reflect those everyday moments of joy, peace, simplicity, and even humor in an otherwise chaotic world, to keep my inspiration, my favorite memories and most of all, my journey of makings things in both life and art. Moments I deliberately take the time to savor and commemorate. Moments that may otherwise be overlooked and lost. Every painting hopes to accentuate the ephemerality of time and exhibit a mastery of what’s essential to the story. Each vignette is a reminder to stop and smell the roses… every day."
--Erika Lee Sears