ERICA RUKIN

Long-time Palm Beach County, Florida resident, Erica Rukin, began her art education as a young girl at the Norton Gallery School of Art in West Palm Beach .  Later, during collegiate years, she quickly learned the only boundaries in art were ones that were self-imposed.  She continues this artistic philosophy to this day.

After graduating with honors from University of Florida ’s College of Architecture and Fine Arts, Erica explored mediums and worked primarily with collage, then switched to figurative painting in oils.  She changed from oils to acrylics and from figure painting to non-objective abstract.  Rukin explained, “My figures were becoming more and more distorted and I was excited about the fact that art allows painters to take these kinds of liberties, not having to follow conventional parameters.” The logical progression for Rukin’s paintings was to go from these foreshortened, semi-abstract figures to non-objective creations.

In the world of abstraction, she challenges the viewer to accept the fact that this type of expression has to be taken on its own terms.  It does not fit into a specific box of traditional painting.  Rather, it is all about creating dynamics such as temperature of color or special relationships.

Using instinct as her guide, Rukin paints without any plans.  Her work is contemporary, both in color and design.  As each opus progresses, her artistic intuition takes control and she eventually makes choices about which spontaneous drips, marks or textures will flavor the piece.  Erica’s process is unstructured and impulsive. She describes, “The whole approach is quite unprompted, similar to a jazz musician jamming out the notes.  The paint and I harmonize with a compatible and respectful duet that guides each painting to its own destiny.”

Over the years, Ms. Rukin’s work has been exhibited throughout the country .  Numerous galleries represent her collections and private art connoisseurs throughout the country hold her works.