Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Clancy Erickson---Artist

The following images are pastel and chalk/charcoal works by artist, Clancy Erickson. These are copyrighted images that may not be used without permission from the artist. Please respect that.

Clancy is the guest curator for the invitational show, "Skin", that opens at the Bemidji Community Arts Center this Friday night. These works, and many others by several local artists, will be on display through September.

OK, that's all the serious stuff. Now I gotta say, "I think my husband is awesome and I'm so proud of him!"





7 comments:

Michelle said...

Wow, your husband is certainly multi-faceted! And you are a more, um, "open" woman than I am if you posed for that first one or didn't mind your husband staring at some other unclad female. (I'm an artist and took "Life Drawing," so I know the drill, but I also know men are very visual creatures and don't believe in playing with fire. :-)

Sabrina Wille Erickson said...

I've posed for many of Clancy's pieces, but not the one featured in the post. Posing is actually a lot of work. But it's also really rewarding to be a part of something beautiful that an artist you admire is creating. I've only posed for artists that I have a certain level of trust with, though.

As for Clancy using other people as models...it doesn't bother me because we discuss it. He always gives me a chance to comment on his choice of models ahead of time. If I don't trust someone or if I feel uncomfortable with the situation, he respects my feelings enough to not use that person. He also sometimes attends a drawing study group at the local university where there is a paid model and a supervising professor on hand. He's in a room full of artists drawing the same person in those cases.

When I first met Clancy almost 15 years ago, I knew he was an amazing artist. It's taken him this long to believe in himself enough to put his work out there. I've tried to encourage him as much as I can. I'm really proud of him. :)

Michelle said...

You SHOULD be proud of him! Lots of talent there. Don't mind me; I'm a prude, no question about it. I've specialized in portraying animals; I love capturing the personality of an animal and thrilling the person who loves that creature. Well, I DID, before Brian came along. Now I'm too busy and drained to do fine art....

Sabrina Wille Erickson said...

Well, I don't think everyone has to like Clancy's work or be comfortable with it.

And I don't think you are a prude because of your comment-I don't even know you very well so how could I decide such a thing? :)

However, I did respond with an explanation because artists that do nude work (and those of us that are married to them) get reactions similar to your's quite often.

In truth, Clancy, and the other people I know that do nudes, confine their work to a very select number of people that share a great deal of trust. There is simply no other way for it to happen without relationships blowing up constantly.

And I do know what you mean about "since Bryan came along." This blog is about the first creative thing I've done since my kids were born. :)

Loring said...

Thanks for sharing in this blog, I love it! It helps to remind me that somethings I value in life are still out there, love, trust, family values, and rural living with nature. It also helps to remind us all that these things can coexhist with art in many forms, whether it be a treehouse, dinner, home, breeding program, forest management or a human nude. Diversified to be sure! Thanks and many blessings, Loring

Becky Utecht said...

I've done a lot of nudes over the years and I can tell you that capturing the figure on paper in limited time frame of the model's endurance is a very intense challenge and I never had to time to let my mind wander. For me and the other artists in our drawing coop, working from a live model is a privilege that is not taken for granted. The model's effort to maintain the pose is very much appreciated. I would love to get back to pastel painting again, but now I'm more interested in sheep as my subject matter. :-)
Thanks for sharing Clancy's
wonderful work with us Sabrina!

Sabrina Wille Erickson said...

Becky,
Thank you for describing the situation so well.

Loring,
I'm so glad you visited. Thank you very much for your sincerely kind words.