Thinkspace is excited to present ERICA ROSE LEVINE ‘Matriline.’ Levine’s work blends the techniques of realism with symbolic storytelling. Through intricately rendered figures and porcelain-like animal forms, she explores themes of fragility, resilience, femininity, and inner peace. Drawing from mythology, nature, and cultural narratives, her paintings create a vivid world where serenity and strength coexist.
Our interview with Erica explores her artistic journey, where her artistic inspirations come from, what’s on her bucket list, and the story behind her ‘tchotchkes.’
- What motivated or inspired the collection you’re presenting in this exhibition?
Community, childhood and the changing roles of women in family and society. I’m inspired by majestic creatures as a metaphor for how powerful children’s thoughts and emotions can be. The fabric of society. Also just my love for painting different textures and surfaces. The allure of painting porcelain with its shiny bits and distorted faces.
- Your representation of everyday li’l keepsakes / trinkets, often referred to as tchotchkes, is so endearing. Did you grow up in a home filled with similar items share about the household?
My mother loved pottery but it was more folksy, crafty types of things, and she also had a little elephant collection. My neighbor and best friend moved to my block from the Ukraine when I was ten, and her family had an extravagant European style that I became enamored with. I would spend a lot of time at her house, which was filled with ornate, valuable keepsakes and figurines plus bronze sculptures and baroque vases.
- Can you share a particularly memorable moment or experience that influenced your artistic journey?
My great uncle George used to visit about once every season, and he was a true artist – he lived in a cabin in the woods and painted abstract scenes on any surface he could find. During his trips, we would spend the whole time doing art projects, paintings and crafts. We would go to the river by his cabin in upstate New York and collect big rocks to paint on. I still have them to this day.
- Are there any specific artists, movements, or periods in art history that have significantly influenced your work?
I think through the years my inspiration has moved through many different movements but today I’m pretty into baroque art and vintage Russian, Ukrainian and Hungarian folk art.
- What is something weird or quirky people don’t know about you that you’d like to share?
It’s hard for me to sit still and I would much rather be in my studio and in my own thoughts than do pretty much anything. I use vintage glass picture frames with old photos and paintings in them as palettes.
- What’s on your bucket list?
To create everything I want to and it can’t possibly all happen because I don’t have time to build my own house with my own hands and start a carpentry business and a clothes design business and become an abstract painter but I will try to get as much done as possible.
- If you could collaborate with any artists in any sort of medium (i.e. movies, music, painting) who would you collaborate with, and what would you be making?
I would love to collaborate with a maximalist installation artist. I’m thinking Portia Munson or Yayoi Kusama.
- How do you approach the naming of your pieces, and what significance do titles hold for you?
I’m always on the lookout for good show or piece names. Sometimes it comes to me quickly from a song or book and sometimes a piece inspires a phrase that fits perfectly. Sometimes I just give the piece a person’s name that I think matches the vibe of the art.
- Do you find yourself drawn to certain subjects or scenes repeatedly? If so, why?
I’ve always wanted to paint and draw women and children. Mostly inspired by motherhood and my childhood. In the past I was insistent on painting strong female figures and their story was about how they could not be broken down. How they could overcome anything and emerge powerful. Now I’m portraying a more of a softer humble side of motherhood and I’m including men in my new series which is a twist from the past. I think I’m trying to create my own ideal society or community.
- Who would be on the guest list if you could throw a dinner party for five people, dead or alive? What would be on the menu? What would be the icebreaker question?
I would have to choose a dinner of comedians because i need to be constantly laughing! Gianmarco Soresi, Emily Catalano, Bernie Mac, Jordan jenson, and Norm McDonald would be a great guest list. The meal would be lasagna because it’s lasagna and I could make it before hand and just pop it in the oven and have more chat time. Norm McDonald would be in charge of the icebreaker question.
· If your paintings had a soundtrack, what kind of music would we hear while viewing them?
It has to be old school hip hop and 90’s indie music.
