Today we’d like to introduce you to Erna B.
Hi Erna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Well, my journey to being the artist that I am today did not start out as one might imagine. As a child, I was always finding ways to express myself creatively, especially through painting. The first time I saw myself becoming an artist as an adult was when someone offered to buy my first still-life painting, which I created in elementary school. Growing up with a mother who was also an artist, I guess you could say that painting came naturally to me. But being a first-generation Liberian-American, having a “professional” career was always the focus. So, becoming a full-time artist was no longer the focus, and the medical route was what I focused on all the way through university.
When I graduated from university, the US was in a recession, and that threw a wrench in my post-grad plans. Well, that wrench was a blessing in disguise. I was able to move to Switzerland for a couple of months and then headed to South Korea, where I lived for four and a half years. While living in South Korea, that fire to pursue my passion in art was reignited. Finding a community of artistic minds there showed that art crosses over all language barriers. Since then, I haven’t looked back.
Fast forward 15 years, and I have been loving my evolution as an artist from live painting events, gallery showings, brand partnerships, and so much more!
Following my passion to pursue my art and show it to the world has been the best decision I have made. I feel the freest when I am creating, and it is a feeling that I wouldn’t change for anything. God has blessed me with this talent and being able to actually use and share my gift with the world has been life-changing and allowed me to be in spaces that without my art, would not have been possible.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Looking at the overall big picture, when I decided to pursue my passion, my road to art has been pretty smooth. As I mentioned earlier, at the beginning the main challenge was my career path and choosing my passion over what was deemed the “practical career choice”. But, since then the greatest challenge was old Father Time. Sometimes I feel as though there are just not enough hours in a day. I am still balancing a 9-5, so I must make sure I am managing my time wisely. Because of that, my days start pretty early; I’m talking about I am up at 3:00 AM to get my day started. My health is extremely important to me, so I am at the gym by 3:30 am to get my day started. By 6:00 AM I am in my studio for a couple of hours before my workday begins and then back at 5:00pm at the end of my workday. Burnout is real in any profession, so to prevent that, at the top of the week I schedule out which days of the week will be my painting days and which will be admin days where I apply for grants, manage sales, ship paintings, create and edit content for social media, etc. Balance has been my mantra. At first, I was burning the candle at both ends, but when I realized I did not need to be in the studio everyday painting while also working a 9-5, my life became more balanced. I have time to dedicate to my health, my family, and my career.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a visual artist, I am inspired daily by all the beauty around me and my daily interactions in this world. I am currently exploring two topics in my work – the evolution of the Black Woman on the road to self-discovery and fertility/infertility. With the use of florals in my paintings, I choose flowers that represent the different emotional stages each woman experiences as she is evolving and coming into her full self. I have been inspired to paint portraits of the children I have yet to have, and children others may wish to have as well. To bring my portraits to life, I love using acrylic paints, modeling paste, and glass to add texture.
When it comes to my portraits, what I have become most known for are the eyes of each subject. When I receive comments on my art, the first thing that is mentioned to me is how the eyes of my paintings draw them in and make them feel connected to the painting. Each time I hear that, I am immediately overjoyed that they have been able to connect with my art. On three separate occasions, I have witnessed my art bring individuals to tears, and when we speak, all they keep saying is, “It’s the eyes!”. I truly believe that the way in which we truly connect to each other is through eye contact and that the eyes are the windows to the soul.
This past year I have had a lot of high moments when it comes to my art, but there are two that I immediately think of. First, I was able to gift a painting to a woman that I truly admire, Caroline Wanga, the CEO of ESSENCE. The second was my partnership with Levi jeans, where I created a mural for the city of Atlanta using their 501 jeans. From that partnership, I was commissioned again by Levi to create a piece of wearable art for their DE&I director, and from that piece, she truly felt seen. After that partnership, I have been commissioned to create wearable art pieces for an array of new collectors all over the globe, which has truly been a blessing.
My art is bright, colorful, and highly emotional. When I create a piece, I always leave a part of me on my canvas.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I’ve learned on this journey is to always remain true to yourself and authentic. With the rise of social media, make sure to not feel pressured to always have to create something new, so you have “content” for the gram or TikTok. Create the art that you want to create, use the colors that you want to use – just make sure at the end when you look at your work YOU SEE YOU!
Contact Info:
- Website: ernabpainting.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erna.b_painting/?hl=en
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/erna-b-289864268
