Welcome to my studio

Fine Art | Illustration | Design

I’m Erika Karl, an artist, illustrator, designer, and recent transplant to Cleveland, Ohio via Brooklyn, New York. I have some exciting new projects brewing. Here is where I’ll share my processes and new collections.

On My Desk…
Plantalismanic

I’ve been playing around with textile pattern design as a way to utilize some of my design skills. I am by no means an interior decorator, but discovering different ways to create seamless repeats has been a very satisfying way to expand my horizons. It’s a whole new way for me to tell a story with imagery.

I started this collection last month and think I may expand on it. I call it Plantalismanic which uses esoteric symbols, themes, and textures found in nature. It’s an experiment I’m having fun with and hope to have a collection of wallpapers and textiles soon.

The Oracle Project

New Prints Available

Each piece in this collection is created using my homemade black walnut ink, adding a rich and earthy tone. I painted this Eclipse painting at the shores of Lake Erie under the total eclipse of 2024. This is the latest print from The Oracle Project available for a limited time.

New prints are continuously added until I complete the project and create a full deck of oracle cards. You can see how far I got to date here. If you’d like to have a part of the series for yourself, go to my print shop to find the piece that speaks to you.

Available Prints

In Progress…
OG Goddess

This is the Venus of Dolni Vestonice:
A pre-historic fired clay statue of another lady of fertility. One of the oldest ceramic pieces found in what is now the Czech Republic. This Venus is thought to have been adorned with feathers on her head, evidence of feathers is in the holes on her head, but it's unknown what type of feathers they were. Another interesting discovery is of a child's fingerprint on her body, pressed in before she was fired. I made this ink-wash painting with my black walnut and indigo inks.

Some are familiar with the Venus of Willendorf when it comes to ancient goddess artifacts. But did you know there are many more like her found all over Europe? I’m intrigued by these tiny sculptures carved in the Paleolithic Era, a prehistoric period some 19,000-27,000 years ago. (Don’t quote me on that, I’m still learning about these.) It’s thought they were used as a fertility totem, or perhaps a long-lost Goddess talisman. Most can fit in the palm of your hand. I’ve started painting them.

See the Collection

Introducing Three Sisters:

Astrid, Gertrude, & Wilma

Three Sisters is a paper doll series found in Erika’s Attic, a place on my website where artistic ideas can be explored, appreciated, and enjoyed by all. Each edition focuses on a unique theme and is hand-drawn by me for you to make your creations as you see fit.

Learn More…

Some News…

I’m excited to announce I’m in a group show over at Deborah Master’s studio up in Chatham, NY. I used to rent studio space from her back in the day when we were both still creating in Brooklyn, NY. It was a delight to walk down that hall with all of her enormous sculptures standing guard.

The opening reception is May 31 from noon-6pm and then open studios every Saturday noon-5pm until July 19th. If you can make it, you will see a lot of great artists in addition to Deb’s amazing body of work. Not to mention, you can see a few of my Oracle Project pieces framed and in person. Come and say hello if you can!

Deborah Masters Studio
253 Slate Hill Road
Chatham, NY

*Please note: NO DOGS - The space can only accommodate the one and only friendly studio dog that is usually present.

Learn more

Ink-Making Fool

I’ve been making so much ink I decided it was time to use it for something awesome. The Oracle Project is painted in black walnut ink since its warmth and natural origins lend itself well to this series. If you’d like to try your hand at natural ink-making, I have my black walnut ink recipe up on my blog…

My Ink Recipe