I am a painter and maker based on the east coast of England. My work explores biography/portraiture, repetition, temporality, time and memories through the manipulation and invention of narrative.

In my most recent paintings I am working on portraits from postcards, colour plates and museum tweets as a source material, interacting with artworks to create a translation which returns the subject to an image rendered in paint.
I am concerned with the techniques and craftsmanship of familiar paintings and how the secondary image reproduced in print or digital media omits the artists’ labour.
By translating these images into paint I am able to explore the original artists’ creation to develop an intimate relationship with their painting process. My response in paint comes between the work and the viewer continuing a conversation with art history.

When I am not at my easel painting I can usually be found on the beach by my studio trawling for driftwood and  interesting flotsam and jetsam. These finds go on to inspire the mixed media sculptures that I make.

Publications:

• Artist & Illustrator magazine feature – November 2009
• BBC arts & culture feature – February 2010
• National UK Youth Music Theatre – 2013 (Painting used for ‘Le Tabou’)
• Aesthetica – The Art & Culture magazine, issue 55, October 2013
• ITV news -11 October 2014 (Rheged ‘Art of remembering’)
• Discover Art magazine (Issue 4) – January 2015
• The London Group edited by Jane Humphrey (ISBN 978-0-9927089-3-1)
• Contemporary British Painting – Painting of the Day  ‪#‎PaintBritain‬ ‘Study of a Snow Leopard (stuffed)’ – 18 January 2016
• Contemporary British Painting – Painting of the Day  ‪#‎PaintBritain‬ ‘Titianium white’, after Anthony van Dyck ‘Portrait of Cornelis van der Geest’ – 6 April 2016
• Contemporary British Painting – Painting of the Day #PaintBritain, Cerulean blue with ultramarine after Giovanni Bellini ‘portrait of doge leonardo loredan’ – January 2017
• Inside Kent magazine – Artist of the month feature – March 2017

Education:

• Fine art foundation – Cumbria College of Art & Design – 1994
• First class BA (Hons) Painting – The University for the Creative Arts (OCA) – 2014

Awards:

• Winner of the OCA’s  2014 Richard Robbins Award
• winner of The Harley Prize 2017 – judges were Hannah Obee (Exhibitions Curator, Chatsworth) Geoff Diego Litherland(Artist) Lucy Phillips (Director, Leicester Print Workshop)

Exhibitions:

• Over the sofa gallery (Wivenhoe) 2004
• Life gallery (Colchester) 2004
• Art at five gallery (Brighton) 2006
• Gallery Kaleidoscope (London) 2007
• Affordable Art Fair 2007(Battersea London) 2007
• Upstairs Gallery (Deal, Kent) 2007
• Art Ireland (Dublin) 2008/09
• Pantiles Edge gallery (Royal Tunbridge Wells) 2008
• Artist in residence at the Marlowe theatre in association with Corridor Arts 2008
• Neville Pundole gallery (Folkestone) 2009
• Solo show, Creative Quarter, Folkestone, Kent (In association with the Creative Foundation) July 2009
• Castle Arts (Canterbury) 2008/09/10
• David Lilford fine art (UK art fairs) 2008/09/10
• Harbour Gallery (Whitstable) 2009/10/11
• 20/21 International art fair (Royal College of Art) February 2010
• AffordART 2010
•  The Neville Pundole Gallery in association with Eisen Fine Arts (France) Timber Batts, Bodsham, Kent (10,11 July 2010)
• Lilford gallery (Canterbury) 2011
• The Bodhini gallery (St Albans) 2011
• Ink Paint Stitch exhibition showcasing the work of Jereme Crow & Sam Crow – 6-13 August 2011 , 65 Tontine st, Folkestone, Kent. In association with the Creative foundation and the Folkestone triennial fringe 2011.
• Christmas exhibition in association with the Creative Foundation, 17-24 December 2011, 67 The Old High Street, Folkestone.
• Christmas exhibition in association with the Creative Foundation, 22-29 December 2012, 56-58 The Old High Street, Folkestone.
• The 2013 Dazed and Refused exhibition, The Arch Gallery Cambridge Heath Road Bethnal Green London E2
• ‘Love, love me do,’ Cursley & Bond Gallery – February 2014,  Creative quarter, Folkestone, Kent.
• ‘The Art of Remembering’ – The Rheged Centre, Cumbria, 20 Sept – 23 Nov 2014
• ‘Primrose hill…Call at 34 Elsworthy rd about Parrot’ The Parrot museum, Netherlands, Curated by Borstel & Kort – September 2014
• ‘Stack’ Selected works Curated by Sharon Read and Bethany Murray. Hosted by gallery 202, December 2014
• ‘Diary of E W Erlam’ solo show,  The Horsebridge centre, Whitstable, 4 – 10 February 2015 (supported by the Open college of the Arts)
• ‘The Art of Remembering’ – touring the North of England –  2015
• ‘The Ruth Borchard Self Portrait Prize 2015’ –   Piano Nobile Kings Place, Gallery Level, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG –  10th July to 9th October 2015
• The London Group 2015 Biennial Open, Oct 13th – 23rd, Cello Factory, London.
• ‘Your view’ A multi artist film project in collaboration with Gillian Wearing  – Brighton Festival, university of Brighton gallery – April 2016
• Lilford Gallery (Creative Quarter, Folkestone) – 2016, 2017
• The Harley Gallery 2017 Biennial Open, 24 June 2017 – 20 August 2017

Paintings in private collections in Europe, Asia,  Australia and the USA.