Erica began beading when she was five and came to glass in her early twenties. The jewelry and sculpture she makes stem from the ritualistic nature of her childhood art. She combines various glass and beading techniques to create labor intensive, kinetic jewelry and sculpture.

There are many technical, stylistic and thematic connections Erica finds between her functional and sculptural work. Erica is also one of the founding members of the performance group "The Burnt Asphalt Family" who uses various glass and cooking techniques to create glass performances set in the post-war era.

Aside from her own creative aspirations and performances, Erica also teaches. Past teaching endeavors include stints at Urban Glass, The Corning Museum, Worchester Center for Crafts, and teacher assistant at Northlands School for Glass and Pilchuck School for Glass. Erica's work has been published in a wide range of popular magazines and well-respected trade journals, including "The New York Times," “New Glass Review”, “Glass Magazine”, "American Craft," “New York Magazine” , “In Style” and “Glashaus”. You can find her production line of jewelry in stores nationwide. She also regularly shows her sculpture pieces and limited edition jewelry internationally.

Erica's web site: Click Here

As a child I visited the circus, always enjoying the colors, smells and energy that existed there. The clowns, acrobats and animals drew me in; the outside world faded for a few hours as I became enthralled by their performances. As a teenager I began to study the work of Frantisek Tichy, a Czech painter and printmaking who often depicted clowns. Unbeknownst to me all of this would become a part of my artistic vocabulary.

As an adult I get inspiration not only from my daily interactions with people, but also from theatrical performances and pantomimes, which I attend as often as possible. I continue to investigate the human figure and facial features. Specifically I am interested in the idea of entertainers and the deceptive nature where emotion and facial expressions are revealed despite the jovial make-up and costuming. Glass as a three dimensional medium allows me to illustrate solidarity in each for by sculpting posture, wrinkles and facial expressions that are a direct contrast to the idea of the happy entertainers we have all been socialized to think of, and enjoy.

I hope that viewers will see my work, remember their own experiences with performers; but also question the person behind the make-up and their life outside their occupation.

Erica's web site: Click Here

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