Celebrating 15 Years with Artist Erin McIntosh
Happy New Year! As we enter a new decade, we are reflecting on the past one. We’ve been in this business for over 20 years now, and feel very grateful to have been representing artist Erin McIntosh for 15 of those years! It is so special to grow & develop alongside such a true talent.
To commemorate our journey together, we are excited to take a little walk down memory lane through our favorite collections & also offer a unique opportunity for readers to spend an evening learning from Erin in person this January. To learn more, stay tuned for details at the end of this feature!
A STUDENT & A TEACHER
Erin McIntosh has lived in the popular artists’ haven of Athens, Georgia for nearly two decades, and recently relocated to nearby Gainesville, GA. Her studio practice is rooted in abstraction in water-based media, and she is a perpetual student of color in all of its forms. She has earned both a BFA & MFA from the University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School of Art, and continues to immerse herself in the world of education. Outside of the studio, Erin teaches full time as an Assistant Professor at the University of North Georgia. She has been working with college students for 13 years, but also has experience with elementary-aged children in the public school system, and at the Georgia Museum of Art. Erin is also fortunate to spend occasional semesters in the Tuscan hill town of Cortona, Italy, teaching students through the University of Georgia’s study abroad program.
"Getting the opportunity to help guide others and facilitate my students finding their voice, developing technique and just introducing them to new artists is really rewarding." – Erin McIntosh
THE EARLY YEARS
In the early 2000s, Erin would paint and collage fabric patterns into her works. Growing up with an artist mother who is also a sewer, Erin was always inspired by the patterns of the fabrics she was surrounded by. One day while in undergrad at UGA, she was rummaging in her parents’ basement when she found an unfinished article of clothing that had the fabric cut out on the pattern but was not assembled. Erin was inspired to incorporate this into a painting, and hence a series was born — she loved how the translucency of the dress patterns allowed for colors to show through from beneath. She continues to manipulate that concept of translucency in her work today, using layers and “windows” into under paintings beneath the surface.
Around 2004, Erin started experimenting with a new series, sparked by the concept of fertility. She referred to these paintings as “eggs on pedestals.” They evolved into a series of two or three figures in one work, interacting and relating to each other. To Erin, they took on personalities and became explorations of human interactions and relationships. Below are two of our favorite install photos featuring this whimsical series.
designer: Olive Interiors
Gregg Irby’s home featured in Atlanta Magazine’s HOME
Erin’s first show at Gregg Irby Gallery in 2006 was a true turning point — she was getting into a stride with painting and earning opportunities to express her voice as an artist. Her body of work sold out within a couple of days, and many attendees caught the “bug” for abstract art at this show.
At this stage in her career, Erin was just starting graduate school, had been recently published in New American Paintings, had her first residency under her belt, and had been painting all summer leading up to the show. The year prior, Erin had taken on a full-time job teaching art in an elementary school, but decided in the middle of that year to not return and instead pursue graduate school, which is when she really kicked it into high gear!
TRAVEL AS A MUSE
For many artists, travel is a constant source of inspiration & growth. One of Erin’s creative escapes resides across the Atlantic, in an ancient Tuscan hill town. Surrounded by sunflower fields & filled with history, Cortona, Italy is a truly special place for all that visit. It is also home to the University of Georgia’s art centric study abroad program, where Erin has spent many spring semesters teaching drawing & art education courses while falling in love with this picturesque town. Through the years, Erin’s experiences overseas have shaped & inspired her work in many ways. Her recent watercolor landscape series was born from this lasting appreciation of place & the use of color to translate an impression of that memory to paper.
images from Glitter & Gingham
The creation of Erin’s most popular series on canvas was also sparked by inspiration absorbed on the road. After having the opportunity to see Monet’s Waterlilies up close during a trip to NYC, the "Garden Fresh” collection was born. She loved the great complexity of color variation that Monet achieved by densely layering colors, and wanted to emulate that somehow. While Erin herself is not a gardener, her father has always had an amazing and huge garden he has built and cultivates. The way plants begin from tiny seeds and then rapidly grow felt a bit like the way the paintings in this series developed.
Gregg Irby Gallery opening party in 2015 at new space in Atlanta’s Westside
A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO COLOR
From organic microbial specimens to structured architectural compositions, Erin’s work varies in style but relates in her scientific approach to color. Her years of experience in the educational field may have helped to shape her studied approach, but Erin has an undeniably gifted eye. She shares her techniques in the studio, using color chips & collage as a method to inform each composition and palette.
The “Architectural” series was inspired by an exercise with her students, creating collages with her 2D Design and Color Theory class. Erin has taught this class almost every year since 2007 and says it has probably informed her work overall more than any other.
“I did a collage project with my students using hand-painted paper swatches where students mixed many many colors with varying levels of saturation and then found compositions by moving pieces around and collaging them. I have had such a blast working through compositional collage studies myself. When I initially started blocking out the shapes to the first paintings in this series, then started layering shapes and realized they looked a bit like collage even though they were not made using this process. "Architectural" was a word popped into my head when I looked at the paintings and it made sense to me as a way to describe them. These paintings felt "constructed" or "built" through the accumulation of layers of flat shapes, shapes that weren't quite geometric and weren't quite organic - somewhere in between the two.”
designer: Paloma Contreras Interior Design
designer: Kendall Simmons Interiors | featured on Hello Happiness
While she loves to work large-scale with acrylics on canvas, watercolor & gouache is a medium that feels almost like second nature. The fluidity of the materials allows a unique type of freedom, and each composition feels like an organic exploration of color & form. These works on paper have developed consistently throughout Erin’s career, and continue to be popular among collectors of all ranks.
designer: Lauren DeLoach Interiors | featured in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles
architect: Frances Zook | photographer: Laura Negri Photography
designer: Kristen Biagini Designs
“One thing I have loved about working with Gregg is that she has been supportive throughout many, many changes as my work developed. It's kind of amazing! I have found continuous discovery and a constant circling back as series’ progress and develop. It has kept the work fresh for me and I feel like I've been able to grow so much with this latitude in my process. Exploration is — I think — why most painters paint! Discovering ways to manipulate the medium and create unique color relationships leads to endless opportunities. The tactile, gooey, fluid substance that can be formed in so many ways is fascinating. I am always excited to see what will happen next!”
MEET THE ARTIST
On Thursday, January 30th, we will be hosting our second Watercolor Workshop led by Erin. We had so much fun at the last one, we’re bringing it back! No experience or materials needed, just an appetite for fun. Bring a friend along, or make a few new ones! There are limited spots available, so snag your seat while they last. We really hope to see you there!
Do you have questions about Erin’s process, materials used, or travel tips? Leave a comment below and Erin will reply!
Watercolor Workshop at Gregg Irby Gallery in 2018 | photographer: Paige French
