In the Studio with Artist and CAC Instructor Eric Birkin
Today, we’re going In the Studio with artist and CAC instructor Eric Birkin. Eric’s artwork is currently on display in the Chesapeake Arts Center’s Pop Up collaborative gallery exhibit with his Mother, Rebecca. The show will continue through August 18.
Meet Eric Birkin, a CAC Visual Arts and MakerSpace instructor and new Gallery Coordinator. Originally from rural Utah, Eric’s exposure to the vast world of the arts was limited. Growing up in a remote location, far from suburbia or even neighbors, Birkin spent his youth in his own introspective worlds. He spent his time developing creatures and environments that he imagined, drawing for hours. It was not until he entered college that his arts education truly began, and all that independent development started coming together. Eric received his Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from the University of Utah in 2016 and continued his education here in Baltimore at the Hoffberger School of Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art where he attained his Master’s degree in Fine Arts. He has spent the last two years as an instructor at CAC and has recently taken on a new role as Gallery Coordinator. When he is not working at CAC, Eric is traveling the country with his fiancé and their new little helper, selling their artwork at conventions.
Here’s some of his story:
What drew you into teaching?
My experiences in the art department at the University of Utah are what drew me to teaching. I decided to take one drawing class designed for non-art students. That class was led by an incredible instructor who could tell I’d had a lot of independent drawing practice, and she planted the idea that I could excel in their art program. I enrolled the next fall and the rest was history. My entire perspective shifted and I fell in love not just with art, but with learning about art. I learned history, theory, community, and loads of technique, and I loved all of it. Perhaps most importantly, though, I watched my own work dramatically transform and improve in what felt like a very short amount of time. And that left a permanent impression on me.
I have always felt compelled to try to share that experience with others through my own teaching, and try to do so in any way I can. I will always be an art student in a sense, and want to continue expanding my skills so I can get better at helping others expand theirs.
What’s your favorite aspect of being an instructor at CAC?
My favorite classes to teach are the ones that run for the longest, like the after-school teen clubs I run through ACDS. The more time I get to spend with a student the better I get to know them, and that really helps me know how to help them develop. Teaching at CAC is great because of the relationships I get to form with some really amazing and talented students, some of whom take multiple classes from me over a period of years, and I just love watching them learn and grow!
You’ve recently also began another position at CAC as the Gallery Coordinator. Can you tell me a little about this position and what you hope to accomplish with this new role?
My role as Gallery Coordinator is something that deeply excites me! This opportunity allows me to bring really interesting art and artists to CAC by planning, curating, and installing exhibitions. I believe strongly in art as a force for good, and I really want to share that with as many people as I can. Organizing and directing our galleries lets me seek out and highlight artwork that I think needs to be seen—work that I honestly believe will help enrich the lives of the local community. And I always get to share the exhibitions with my students, which makes it even better.
What else are you working on personally or professionally?
I have a studio at home and try to be in there as much as I can. My painting practice centers around an extremely specific iconography shared between science fiction and western religion—something I picked up at a very early age that has never stopped fascinating me. My painting work is highly idiosyncratic and I mostly make it for myself, but I always love to hear what people think. I find that most people pick up on the right feeling or essence of the work, even if it can be challenging to understand it concretely without listening to me describe it.
I also travel around the country selling anime-themed art at conventions with my fiancé Mary Anne, who is a ceramicist and an extremely talented artist herself. She makes pottery with hand-painted anime characters on it, and I make laser-engraved spray paintings that act as reproductions of my anime-based line drawings. We make a great team and have a lot of fun doing it!
Sign up for one of Eric’s classes, come see what he’s doing in the gallery spaces or check out his personal work on instagram.
CAC Pop Up Gallery Exhibition
Featuring artwork by Eric Birkin & Rebecca Birkin
August 3 - August 18
Gallery Hours:
Monday-Thursday 10:00am-6:00pm | Saturday-Sunday 10am-1pm
