It’s time to shine the spotlight upon tenth-grade artist, Warwick Valley High School student Erin Eicher. Extremely talented, Erin’s artwork has shown tremendous growth this year.
Art teacher Kristen Spano comments, “Erin has an eye for composition. She is able to capture the viewer’s attention through movement and detail. She is a conscientious worker who is highly respected by both her peers and her teachers alike. She is driven to succeed in art, theater and music.”
Recently, Erin’s work earned her the regional title in the PTA Reflections Fair. The work was based on this year’s theme, “Look within.”
“Her piece depicts a young girl revealing her insecurities and feelings as a teenager. Erin uses wilting sunflowers to show the inner conflict of a young girl putting up a facade for her peers when she is really feeling unsure of who she really is. The illustration will be moving on to the state level competition later this month,” said Spano.
When asked to comment about this piece entitled, “The True Mask of a Wildflower,” Erin said, “The theme of looking within really evoked thoughts of a mask for me. In society, we sometimes are forced to wear masks because it is the path of least resistance. In this piece, you can see that as the subject takes off the mask, the flower in the background wilts. I was symbolically trying to show what happens… the spirit gets crushed…”
Not only is Erin an introspective and talented illustrator, but a dynamic singer as well. Erin sings Soprano 2 for Treble Choir. She performed at the Pop’s Concert at the High School, and she is also part of the ensemble for The Drowsy Chaperone, to be presented on Fri., Mar. 13 and Sat., Mar. 14.
Trying new things is part of her passion as an artist. When speaking of her most recent watercolor painting, Erin described a very organic process which taught her about a new medium.
“In my most recent piece, we collected onion peels, coffee, berries, spinach, ginger, and tumeric and used their pigments to make watercolor paint. I thought it was really cool to try something new as I usually stick to markers and colored pencils.”
Regarding her future plans, Erin has dreams of one day becoming a graphic artist and moving to New York City. She states, “I’d really like to not only illustrate, but also write graphic novels and I’d love to pursue my education in New York City as there are so many art schools there!”
Clearly, one can immediately sense that the future is bright for budding artist Erin Eicher – talented, hard-working and focused, she is sure to follow her dream.
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