Erin Atkinson

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Erin Atkinson

Rot and Bloom
Fibers
Sculpture

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Erin Atkinson

Erin Atkinson (they/them) is a BFA Studio Art student at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. They are an interdisciplinary artist primarily exploring fibers, with a special interest in paper-making as a 3D medium. Their body of work “Rot and Bloom” explores this sculptural application through organic, sprawling paper forms. Following the irregular growth of living forms, the organic nature of fibers allows Atkinson to create flowing, lifelike structures. Much of Atkinson’s work deals with subjects of growth and decay, attachment, childhood, and the presence, or absence, of the parent-child bond. Exploring the impact of intense emotional experiences throughout young life and the marks they leave on our lives long term. They present these heavy topics through a whimsical, childlike, and feminine lens, inviting viewers to reconsider their initial response to the work. Their work has been exhibited at 3rd place, the Looking Glass Gallery and the Smith Gallery.

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Erin Atkinson

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Erin Atkinson

Artist Statement

Fibers’ inherent humanness has always drawn me in. From the very beginning of fiber processes, there are human hands. To be human is to be intrinsically connected to fibers. The community and connection that come with fiber work enables me to navigate emotional spaces that might otherwise remain inaccessible. Utilizing fabric, handmade paper, and yarn work, I create soft sculptures and sprawling forms meant to cradle the parts of us that are too difficult to express.I am inspired by my own lived experiences and the connections between people. My work deals with themes of trauma, disconnection, attachment, and the parent-child bond. I present these heavy topics through a whimsical, childlike, and feminine lens, creating tension between visual form and its content. Found objects are another large part of my work. I have a small collection of found objects, including trinkets and pieces of fabric, that I keep to draw from.I am especially interested in the application of handmade paper as a 3D medium.In my body of work “Rot and Bloom” I use wire armatures and handmade paper to create proliferating, organic sculptures. I wrap the wet paper around singular pieces of armature to create individual “petals” before using them to construct the larger structures. When putting together these sculptures, I typically start out with hundreds of pieces, connecting them together in different orientations before painting and putting together the blooms to create the overall form.I am also very drawn to working with textiles, yarn, and natural dyes when possible. Following the irregular growth of living forms, the organic nature of fibers allows me to create flowing, lifelike forms. Intuition is a huge guiding factor in my process, allowing the work to guide me to its final form rather than trying to force it to be something it's not. Color choices, placement, and how the pieces are put together rely on intuition and emotion. Fibers lends itself to this intuitive process very well. Both through its fluid and malleable nature, and how my pieces change and move as they dry, relinquishing my full control of the result.

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Erin Atkinson

"Rotten Bloom"

"Rotten Bloom", handmade abaca paper, wire frame, plant material, watercolor paint. Approximately 12 x 12 in, 2024

"Rotten Bloom" explores growth and decay as a simultaneous process rather than happening independently. This piece took a lot of inspiration from moss, mold and algae, prompting experimentation with repeated dipping of natural and synthetic material to simulate natural phenomena. I find the way that these species grow and take over their environments interesting and relevant to my emotional experiences. It’s inspired much of my current work and medium exploration.
"Rotten Bloom" is meant to reflect the cycles we move through constantly in our lives. The piece is intended to embody a careful balance of flourishing and withering, as if caught in a moment of transformation. Growth is rarely a linear experience, it includes many moments where we feel as though we might slip back down the slope, as if we are wasting away. Throughout our lives we change, we grow apart from the people we thought we would know forever, we move away from the places we've lived our entire lives, we get new jobs, we see each other less. Yet these changes and cycles are what shapes us as people, when things rot they still feed the ground below them. "Rotten Bloom" is meant to mirror the inevitability of change, the uncomfortable beauty found in impermanence, and the regeneration that can be derived from decay.