Water that moves: Erik Abel

Sol slice 3 ©Erik Abel

"Grab a beer and relax. This might take a while."

That, my friends, is how you kick off an About page. And artist Erik Abel wasn’t kidding. Originally from Ventura County, California, he’s lived all over the world – sweet and salty fronded places like Bali, Fiji, Sumatra, and the Kingdom of Tonga(!). Not to mention New Zealand, Australia, and aboard a bunch of boats in between.

He was searching for waves, mostly, and whatever else it is we search for when we find ourselves searching.

It makes for a good story. What makes his a great story, though, is this: along the way Erik created a trail. A string of paintings connecting one place, one culture, one experience to the next. I love his work. (Check it out. I’m so serious!)

To me, this is what the world looks like when you worry less about leaving your mark on it and, instead, allow the world to leave its mark on you. Clearly the places he’s been have affected his art and, I can only assume, his worldview.

I think it’s important, this idea of leaving a trail. Of making things as we move through life. It's a line of breadcrumbs, the things we create, whether they’re paintings or poems or even blog posts. They help us remember where we’ve been. Those special places and times where, for whatever reason, things seemed to make sense. And... should we lose our way over the ensuing years, it's those breadcrumbs that help us find our way back again.

Big thanks to Erik + Nellie Abel for letting me share some of Erik's work.