Place des Arts alumni (former student)

Biography

Erica Sandberg is an artist living in New Westminster. Although she has enjoyed making art her whole life, since moving to this city several years ago, she has begun to take her art more seriously by enrolling in classes to learn new techniques and connect with other local artists. She has always loved photography, and in her twenties, three years of backpacking around the world with very little money to spend on film for her camera forced her to be intentional with the photos she took, which she believes helped her develop a good eye for composition. She also enjoys life drawing, watercolour, printmaking, collage, oil painting and urban sketching. In her younger years, she experimented with acrylic painting; however, after taking oil painting classes at Shadbolt Centre and at Place des Arts, she fell in love with this new medium. Presently, she is part of a photography club and is a new member of the New West Artists society.

Artist Statement

I have been living in and around Metro Vancouver since I was 18. However, I grew up on a farm in rural Saskatchewan where the muted colours of the prairie landscape and the expansive skies have definitely had a strong impact on my artistic inspiration. Despite being surrounded by majestic mountains, lush forests and the vivid colours of the West Coast, it’s the sky and wide-open spaces that still speak to me. I tend to find beauty in unexpected places such as piles of materials in a deconstruction site, derelict cars and buildings and brutalist forms in architecture, which are all common subjects in my photography. In contrast, the subject matter for my paintings tends towards the more traditional sense of beauty. I enjoy painting unique houses I come across on my walks and picturesque landscapes that evoke the big skies and far-off horizons of my childhood.

Instagram: @ericapsan

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