ERIK MOHR
Erik Mohr studied drawing, painting and printmaking at the Ontario College of Art (now OCADU) in Toronto, Canada and apprenticed with Attila Richard Lukacs in Berlin, Germany. In the mid-1990s and early 2000s, after returning to Canada, Erik exhibited extensively and was represented by galleries in Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax. Subsequently, he established himself as a highly-regarded Creative Director in the field of graphic design. He recently returned to his first passion – painting. Erik divides his time between his studios in Toronto and on a farm just north of Cobourg, ON.
His oil paintings combine realistic portraits of friends and family members, painted directly on the surfaces of discarded wood. Most are sourced from old furniture and floorboards, with many found pieces 50 years old or more.
The rough textures or smooth, worn surfaces of the wood are juxtaposed with highly detailed portraits, creating a unique tension of materials and visual drama. Erik Mohr continues to explore the communicative power and emotional connection created by classical portraiture and figurative studies.
