Erica Soskin

Artist Bio

Born and raised in New York City, I had great exposure to art. I started making art as a child and took art lessons at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as private art lessons as a teenager. I received my Bachelor's Degree in Art in 1999 from Binghamton University. In 2001, I left NYC and moved to New Mexico, where I studied Art Education at the University of New Mexico. Later on, in 2005, I received my Master's Degree in Counseling from Southwestern College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I have taught art to children, as well as used art with children, as a former licensed clinical counselor and school counselor. I currently reside in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I am no longer working, as I am disabled, and I spend most of my time creating art.

I have had my works selected for multiple online and in-gallery group exhibitions, past and current. Here are some of my past and current exhibitions:
2002, Group Exhibition at Fuller Lodge, Los Alamos, NM. This exhibition was centered around the 911 attacks. My oil painting “Remembrance” was chosen.

Shapes and Colors, online group exhibition, Biafarin. May, 2025.

True Beauty, online group exhibition, Biafarin. June, 2025.

Precious, online group exhibition, Biafarin. June, 2025.

Life and Death, online group Exhibition, Biafarin. July 2025.

Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach, California, selected artwork for online group exhibition, The Face, The Figure. July 2025.

“Our Wildest Dreams”, in ga allery group exhibition, Eckhart College in Saint Petersburg, Florida. August, 2025.

Novum Artis, online group Exhibition.

Nuditas, online group exhibition, Biafarin. October 2025.

“Solos” online group exhibition, Exhibizone. November 2025.

MVA Gallery, “Seeing Red”, in gallery group exhibition, Bethlehem, PA. October 2025 to November 2025.

Artist Website

Artist Statement

The theme of searching for connection and place is central in my work. Making art is my way of expressing what I cannot put into words. This process began early on in my childhood. I have a vivid imagination, often picturing very colorful images and scenes in my mind. I think this stems partly from being adopted at birth, as I would imagine who my birth parents were, where they might be, and what they might look like, making up stories in my mind. From that longing and searching, I created characters and places. And my search for identity, place, and belonging has been a prominent theme in my art, often painting fragmented figures and dreamlike environments reflecting my search. I am primarily an oil painter. My process starts with a vision or an emotion, creating like the waves of the ocean, flowing, ebbing. I prefer to use vivid colors, layers of thick paint, curves, and lines. In my works, I immerse figures within their environments, as the human form is not separate from the environment. Environments influence how we connect and feel. As humans, we tend to manipulate our environments, creating and sadly, destroying. The search for a peaceful, open, and quiet environment is a personal theme for me, as I was born and raised in New York City, but moved to New Mexico in 2000, seeking refuge from the crowds and noise. In nature, I feel calm and quiet. Amidst the crowded city, full of people, I may feel energized, but overwhelmed. I sought refuge from the lack of personal space and privacy when I left New York City to move to New Mexico.

I am primarily a figurative painter, but I also paint very abstract landscapes, both inner roadmaps and external landscapes. I paint universal themes of human suffering, transcendence, connection, joy, isolation, and the soul. I paint what is hard to name, the ethereal, a gesture to convey emotion, the spiritual realm. Every piece is a part of my journey, conveying the many paths I have walked. In my works, I offer the viewers a chance to connect and interact. My hope is that my art will help others not to feel so alone in this world, to find their “home”, their place and environment that resonates with them.
-Erica Soskin