La Mesa artist recognized by San Diego Watercolor Society

You could say that it reflects well on the local art scene.

La Mesa resident Robin Erickson recently won the Best of Theme award in the San Diego Watercolor Society’s November member’s exhibition “Reflections in Play,” an in-gallery show presented by the the SDWS in Liberty Station.

Erickson’s Best of Theme painting is titled “St. Mark’s Basilica.” The painting was selected for the honor out of 285 entries.by local artist and juror Janice Cipriani-Willis.

“Wonderful reflections!” commented Cipriani-Willis. “The small figures in the background anchor the composition. They’re just splendid. The detail of the reflected basilica is remarkable. The contrast of the warms against the cools lends to the liveliness of the painting. It really shines.”

The exhibition will run through Saturday, Nov. 29, at the SDWS gallery at 2825 Dewey Road in Liberty Station, and is free to the public from Wednesday through Sunday.

Erickson is a California artist who has been painting for nearly 25 years. She has focused exclusively on watercolor painting, and said that reflections are what interest her and what she seeks to paint.

In the mid-1990s, with no prior art experience, she was persuaded by a co-worker to take an evening art class at the local community college, and the experience turned out to be transformational. She fell in love with watercolor painting, set up a studio at home, and began painting every evening. She joined the San Diego Watercolor Society, began showing her work, and never looked back.

Erickson left her career as a mathematician/analyst for the Naval Research and Development Laboratory, moved to Fallbrook in 2003 to a new studio, and was at that time able to devote herself to full-time painting.

She has studied with multiple internationally known painters, and holds signature memberships in the International Master Watercolour Alliance, the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, Watercolor West, and the San Diego Watercolor Society — among others.

Find more of Erickson’s work at her website. Paintings can be viewed and purchased directly from the gallery, and are also available to view and purchase here.