Erica Swenson employs a realistic style as a way to encourage the viewer to feel transported to a different place. She applies acrylic paint in an articulate way to enable textures of objects and the mood of the moment to be felt. Most of her career has focused on using murals to accomplish this. Many of them include a portion of the image that blends into the real world in their composition, such as a fence or part of a wall. The art transitions from this structure to a new scene the viewer is invited to experience.
She began painting murals in 2004 soon after graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology. The grandness of murals attracted her to the art form, along with the way they can be used to create a sense of place in a public setting. Her murals can be found in Nashville, TN; Cookeville, TN; Jamestown, NY; and along the Erie Canal Mural Trail in western New York.
Recently, she has turned her attention more toward painting on canvas to accommodate for greater detail. Her paintings serve as a vehicle to share what she has found to savor about life. The vibrant natural area surrounding Cookeville, TN has become a significant muse since she moved there in 2013. Also present in her work are expressions of her Swedish heritage and experiences from her hometown, Jamestown, NY. For her, art is a deeply contemplative activity, meant to create connection between people who feel shared inspiration through the images.