Part Disney movie, part psychedelic poster, this work embodies a tense existence between what is inviting and what could be overwhelming or even threatening. Rather than literal views of nature, centrally composed arrangements connote intentionality and artifice- reflecting a desire to tame, contain and preserve. My most recent works include gouache drawings on black paper. These "Midnight Gardens" incorporate real and imagined exquisite botanical fragments, strange flora, and sentimental mementos into a beautiful but sterile Eden. The paintings teeter between still life objects and landscape representation that implicates the viewer as participant. Inspired by myths as well as allusions to the landscape as feminine, these objectified forests and gardens embody a timeless and mystical space while also suggesting a sense of desire, anxiety, and a loss of authenticity.

 

 

Originally from California, Erin Harmon received her BA in studio art from San Diego State University. She went on to graduate with her MFA in painting from Rhode Island School of Design in 2003. She has been featured in numerous group and solo exhibitions around the country including at Lawrence Asher Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; the Parthenon Museum, Nashville, TN; the Target Gallery at the Torpedo Art Center, Alexandria, VA; and the Atlanta Artists Center & Gallery, Atlanta, GA. Erin lives and works in Memphis, TN where she is Associate Professor of Art at Rhodes College.