Artist Erika Small. Photo: Ami Kochendorfer, Finn & Gray
Erika Small discusses how artwork has a way of connecting through stories and emotion.
From the moment Erika Small’s paint brush touches a canvas, a new story unfolds. Emotion is ignited, and what was once a blank slate is suddenly visible and ready to make an impact. Passion pours from the Woodbury artist as she discusses her gift. She is proud and humble at the same time. Her art is a lifelong love that she found her way back to after detours and rediscovery. “When I was in grade school, I started to realize I could create something fun if I put my mind to it,” Erika says of growing up in Winona.
Some of her earliest memories as an artist were alongside her grandmother, Georgia Flemming, who would bring 12-year-old Erika to painting classes at the local senior center. A giggle erupts from Erika as she recalls the memory. “She actually got in trouble because she wasn’t supposed to bring me every time,” she says. “But it didn’t matter back then, I would do anything with her.”
I am Noble because I am Myself
With her sights set on art while attending St. Olaf College, Erika admits she struggled. She explored different careers before landing in the medical device industry. Erika realized her creative side was still active, just not in a drawing sense. “I took a technology class and ended up fixing a lot of things,” she says. “That’s a kind of art too.”
Amid her thriving career and eventual marriage, Erika and her husband, Jesse Emerick, adopted two boys from Ethiopia: Samuel was adopted in 2008 at 7 months old, and Efrem was adopted in 2010 at 11 months old. The couple also gained custody of Erika’s nephew, Garret Small, after her brother’s death in 2019. With three boys and a full-time job, art stayed in the backseat of Erika’s life. “I had to take this detour,” she says. “I had to get rid of my student loan debt and raise children.”
Then, COVID-19 hit. The unanticipated pause button reunited Erika with her brushes. “And I haven’t looked back since,” she says. It was like riding a bike. The skill Erika had long neglected was still there, waiting to be freed. Inspired by the world around her, Erika says she finds herself typically doing a narrative style painting with a lot of symbolism. “I like to tell stories in my art,” she says. “I like to spark emotion and mood.”
Art can foster unexpected friendships and deep connections between strangers. A particular piece can create a space for people to share personal details and stories about their own lives. While her brother’s death was a big part of Erika’s life, it isn’t something she paints about. Yet when two different people bought paintings from her, they shared a story of losing their own brothers. “I enjoy when people tell me what my work reminds them of,” Erika says. “Art helps people open up and create a powerful connection. I pay attention to that.”
Guardian of the Plains
Animals spark emotion too, and Erika frequently finds herself highlighting different species in her work. “I sold a painting of a rooster recently, and the buyer told me it helps him stay present,” Erika says. “Animals do that for us. They make us think and feel things beyond words.”
As her creative process evolves, Erika says she’s learning to hone her skill, exploring a more realistic approach than she’s used to. In fact, she’s most proud of a painting she did of two children, inspired by Erika’s neighbors, playing in a field at dawn in the summer. “It captures the mood of my brother and me playing as kids,” she says. “It gives me joy to paint young people.”
Erika’s children are grown now, and three-day weekends allow her to concentrate on her paintings, often working on a few projects at once. As she grows her inventory, Erika says she continues to seek a gallery that’s the right fit, both for her and her art. “I want to keep working on getting my work out there,” she says, leaving readers with a message to consider when adding artwork to their walls. “Art is healing. It’s something wonderful to have in your home. It connects us. I encourage everyone to support artists and make their work part of your life. Let its story become yours.”
Erika Small
Instagram: @erikasmall
