Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Carty.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
As a kid, I moved around a lot due to my dad being active duty military and my parents being divorced. I was born in Heidelberg, Germany and lived in various cities and towns, until we settled in El Paso, Texas. Like many artists, I’ve always had an interest in art. As a kid, I always enjoyed drawing, painting and just being creative. I took art classes during school but ironically failed my AP Studio Art Exam, with a 1, my senior year. My mom always encouraged me to learn art history, so I had a basic knowledge of art history as a kid, especially Italian art history and my dad encouraged my creative pursuits, but he also wanted me to have a stable career where I would not be financially insecure.
I initially started off my undergraduate career in Fashion Merchandising with a minor in Psychology, but once I transferred to Texas State University in San Marcos, I decided I wanted to change majors to either Biology, Art, or potentially double major in both. I ended up talking to a career counselor, and we decided that Art Therapy would be a good choice for me to go into, so I switched my major to Studio Art with a focus in Painting, while keeping my Psychology minor. Throughout my time in the art program, my interest and love for art began to grow stronger, I began to explore new mediums, and the idea of going into art therapy seemed less exciting. My professor, Tommy Fitzpatrick, encouraged me to apply to MFA programs and after talking about it with my parents (somewhat to the disgruntlement of my father), I applied to five programs. Due to the fact that I graduated in December 2015, I accepted an internship at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, VA and moved in with my aunt who lived there until I heard back from graduate schools. During this time, I gained an interest in working in Arts Administration along with trying to maintain my artistic practice which is hard when you live in an apartment with two other people and a pitbull/cattle dog mix.
I accepted an offer from the University of Houston for graduate school and began in the Fall of 2016. I am now in my final year, preparing to graduate in the spring and my parents are very proud (Dad finally came around). While my undergraduate studies helped me to develop my skills as an artist, graduate school has helped me with creating strong concepts and exploring multiple disciplines, along with gaining more confidence in myself as an artist.
Please tell us about your art.
Time and space are such weird ideas and funny things to consider and then when you add people into the mix; it complicates things more. Due to how much I traveled and moved around as a kid, my work has taken on the idea of being “in-between” or in a liminal space. In a way, I feel that I’m trying to create these spaces as a result of not having permanent roots anywhere. I’m also looking towards photographs that my father took, which takes on the idea of memory and re-contextualizing it from my own perspective. I’ll never experience these memories, but how can I insert or re-create new memories from them?
I work a lot in layers due to my foundation from oil painting in my undergraduate training. The transition from a solid, opaque visual image to these multiple, almost transparent layers on top creates this non-place – there are deciphering details, but at the same time, you’re not quite sure where or when this imagery takes place. It’s almost as if I’m creating a false memory for you to look at and consider, by taking from actual memories.
My work has always had a sense of myself in it whether it’s stemming from my anxiety or my experiences. I hope that the viewer can gain an understanding of not only me as the artist, but also relate in their own experiences and enjoy these small realities I’ve created.
Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national or international events and issues affect your art?
The world seems like it’s in a really horrendous state right now, but I think artists can help bring voices or issues to focus. Or maybe it’s about taking your mind off the current state of the world even if it’s just for a few minutes through art. Either way, I think artists have more power and influence than they may realize, and that influence can really help communities.
For me, personally, I have to sometimes take a step back from all the events because instead of allowing me to make art, it just makes me depressed. I think inadvertently my work might also be a response to current events because I’m making places that I wish to escape to, so I don’t have to deal with all the negativity.
I have made works that are about my racial identity (half white, half African-American; I myself am an in-between space) and those are pure fire and rage to put it nicely. I think those are my most political works, but I don’t make politically charged works that often. However, I hope that people who see me, especially kids who are also biracial/multiracial, can become inspired and make their own visual and performative responses to the world around them.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
People can see my work on my Instagram and my website! My website is where you can see my work over the years, my CV, and all the different mediums I explore. My Instagram is where you can see more in-progress shots along with information about shows I’m having. It’s also my personal Instagram, so you get to see things that interest me (food, lots of food) along with snippets of my daily life. I’m also pretty active on my Instagram stories.
I also have a studio at the University of Houston, so if you want to set-up a meeting, feel free to contact me!
If you want to support my work, please come out to my shows and buy my work – I also make prints! I’m also available for commissions. Also, if you like my work, give it a like on Instagram and tell people about it! I love supporting fellow artists (in all fields) as well!
Contact Info:
- Website: erin-carty.squarespace.com
- Email: enc9346@gmail.com
- Instagram: erin_fo_faren
Image Credit:
Ally Fluker
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
