Erin in her studio

Describe your studio setup - how is your space organised for productivity and creativity, and how does it support your landscape painting practice?
In my studio, I use a rolling table that has a separate wooden board taped to the top. On this wooden board, I tape a piece of artist palette paper (essentially a large piece of wax paper). This gives me plenty of space to pre-mix all the colors that will appear in the painting. At the end of the day, I pop the board off the rolling cart and stick the entire palette into a freezer. This helps to keep my paint fresh for the next day. An additional benefit to using a limited palette is that I can re-use any paint left over from one painting and apply it to the next painting. It is a great way to start your next painting off with a pile of neutral hues scraped from the previous palette.

Texan Sky III, oil on canvas, 60x84in (152.5x122cm)

What does a typical day in your studio look like, from morning routines to how you manage painting and business tasks? 
From 9 AM until lunch time, I perform the adminstrative duties of being an artist. I have ten employees, so I cooridnate and organize in the mornings. I also sign limited edition prints, edit scan images, and update my website with new paintings. After lunch, I begin painting. On most days, I paint from 1 PM until 9 PM at night. I sell 75% of my paintings before they are dry on the dry racks, so I have a constant pressure to create new works for upcoming shows and to hang in my gallery in Oregon wine country.

Hues of Washington, oil on canvas, 54x42in (137x106.5cm)

You paint almost every day. Do you paint at certain times (e.g., mornings versus evenings), and does this routine help your creative flow?
I try to be distraction-free when it is painting time. It helps to segment my time into “painting time” and “administrative time.” It takes a surprising amount of time to handle customer service, shipping, scanning, finances, and the general demands of running a multi-million-dollar art business. But I cannot complain… I have figured out a way to paint for a living, something everyone told me couldn’t be done when I was a child!

Mt Hoods Last Light, oil on canvas

With such an immersive practice, how do you balance physical travel for inspiration with studio work at home?
I schedule photo safaris several times a year to gather beautiful landscape inspirations to paint. I plan my schedule out 12 months in advance, so I can be sure I have time to paint for all the shows I do throughout the year, while also leaving time for commissions and other projects.

How do you maintain focus over long painting sessions - do you listen to music, audiobooks, or work in silence?
I mostly listen to audiobooks. I have nearly 1,000 audiobooks in my library that I’ve listened to over the past ten years.  my two favourite genres are English classics and science fiction.

Find out more about Erin on her website.