Erika Stearly’s watercolor-and-acrylic paintings pack a powerful pull — especially her room interiors. It’s as though you never even knocked on the front door of the house to get in, and yet — trancelike — you’ve beamed deeply into a space tied together tightly with color, yet loose enough to walk around in, where you experience distinct forms in a loving, exaggerated fashion.
Stearly’s style is uniquely whimsical, dreamlike and yet utterly down-home intimate. Skewed and off-kilter in places (you may find yourself tilting your head this way and that way to “see” better or differently), each painting is a new view: a chandelier hangs precariously close to a table with red chairs; a bedroom is streaked with turquoise and orange and white light from a window behind; geometrics explode everywhere as squares and circles, swirls and lines define ceiling, walls, rugs and floors. As for objects, a family piano or even an old-time woodstove become protagonists in her works.
Love for Domestic Spaces
Stearly explains her attraction to domestic space: “It’s an opportunity for me to paint geometric shapes, organic shapes and patterns. I’ve found that so long as there’s an architectural detail that people can connect with, they’re willing to go along with whatever else is happening in the painting.” Photographic images provide inspiration, she says, but there are specific guidelines she chooses for just the right room (or house — yes, exteriors, too) to focus on. She seeks out “images that have really large objects and really small objects.” She explains, “If the space, the interior, is too cluttered — it’s a No. If it’s too empty — No. The floor? That’s necessary. There needs to be a place to walk in: that’s a way to engage with the painting.”
Home is a key concept. “One of the things I find interesting is that despite the homes being very specific, they’re also very universal. People will look at an interior, a room, that is not theirs, and say, ‘That reminds me of the house where I grew up, or where I raised my kids, or a room at the beach we used to go to…’ They’re often referring to buildings that they haven’t been in for years.”
A Life in Art
Stearly, who holds an MFA degree in painting, says that making art manifested in her as a child. “Absolutely! I was always going to be making things, painting things.My parents were creative people. My dad is a nurse by trade, but his creativity leans more towards invention than fine arts. My mom has a degree in graphic design, and when I wanted to go into art education, I was encouraged by my parents.”
Every year, Stearly creates 120 paintings, which she releases to her mailing list — including numerous international buyers — for sale in August, December and April. “My clients know to expect that. The paintings always sell out!” She also makes custom paintings. To join the list, visit her website.
Behind the Scenes
-
- Stearly works part-time at Firefly Bookstore in Kutztown. “I like helping people connect with books,” she says.
-
- “I collect Pennsylvania Dutch cookbooks,” shares Stearly. “I really enjoy Pennsylvania Dutch food!”
