Conversations with Jeffrey Erwin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey Erwin.

Hi Jeffrey, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Today I’m an artist but it hasn’t always been that way. Most parents don’t jump for joy when you tell them you’d like to study art, in fact most of society doesn’t see it as a viable option spawning questions like, “well what are you going to do with that?” It took years of self doubt before identifying as an artist.

While in Graduate School I gravitated to the Rio Grande which was only a few miles outside of town. I walked, hiked, boated and biked 200+ miles between New Mexico, Texas, & Mexico. I became entranced with the River corridor and how we monetize water. This section of river is an on going supreme court case as water rights become increasingly tenuous. In the winter of 2017, I watch a Great Blue Heron couple catching fish from a puddle near the rivers edge where the river had dried up. The pool had an intense algae bloom and I remember feeling sorry for the birds, and the fish. In the coming days I returned and found one of the herons dead and the other next to them.
This experience brought me into a true mourning period. Still today I cry when recounting the events. I mourned for the heron, the fish, the river, and the people of the Rio Grande.
and
I felt helpless.

I remember thinking to myself I may not be able to change what is happening but I can bare witness to this loss of life. I know in some way, I’m connected to river and that heron. I held a small ceremony for the Heron and the following day I returned and took a casting of the herons footprint.
This footprint has left an everlasting imprint on my heart and life. Today I’m still taking castings of river bottoms and edges. While each mold doesn’t carry such emotional weight the Heron encouraged me to begin casting rivers in an effort to capture fleeting moments in an ecosystems life.

Currently I’m utilizing the castings to create pottery. I find it to be a poetic notion that a ‘river cup’ holds your water while the plates hold the foods grown with the same water.

Today the work has evolved into something beautiful and allows me to celebrate the rivers that have brought me joy, lessons in self growth, brought me closer to my gardens, and tranquility.
and
Share stories with those who engage with my work.
and
if I can honor the heron in anyway, my dream is, my work being in our hands and homes will serve as a reminder conserve water, respect water, and prioritize our rivers.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There have been a few speed bumps along the way but to be honest I’m not sure how much I want to put in print and what I want to relive. and
where my work is today and much of what I think is inspiring about my story revolves around the heron.

Never have I mourned like that for a wild animal.
and
I believe they (the Heron) brought a beautiful form of art into the world.
and
I believe this work has the potential to bring people closer to the rivers in which we depend on.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a mixed media sculptor currently focusing on starting a production pottery studio. I specialize in creating pottery that is embedded with the textures of our river ecosystems. I’m most proud of not giving up.
and
My process certainly sets me apart from others.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
This is a doozy.

1) Family/people and animals.
I believe it all comes down to empathy for others.

2) Creativity
Keeps life interesting

3) Resourcefulness
We’ve got more than we need in this world and it brings me joy to see things reused in different applications.

Pricing:

• Mugs $45
• Plates $30 sm $40 lg 12″ plate
• Cups $35

Contact Info:

• Website: jerwinstudios@gmail.com
• Instagram: terraforma_studios