Erik Abel grew up in Ventura County spending lots of time exploring around the Channel Islands with his father and uncles and hanging out at the beach. He has always be interested in drawing, "when I was one and a half years old, I created my first masterpiece; a chalk drawing of a balloon, complete with string, on my little wooden table."
He was only 11 years of age when he first discovered surfing, his love for water can been seen in his work. After graduating he moved to Portland, Oregon, moving to this place had a great impact on his art. "The pure and natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest inspired me to focus on a more natural subject matter, free from anything manmade."
It wasn't until 2005, when he moved to LA for a job, he started to create art after work as a therapy to combat stress from busy work schedule. One day after reading a quote on his laptop, he quit his job and began to travel. He was paintings while travelling and his work reflected the surroundings of the current location - beaches and waves when he was New Zealand, and abstract paintings and tribal faces while he was in Santa Monica.
He is presently working from his studio in Southern Oregon creating artwork inspired by geometric shapes and bold colors. His work has been featured in numerous galleries across the country and internationally. He has worked in collaboration with brands such as Patagonia, Reef, REI and Billabong. Erik has shown his work in solo as well as group exhibitions.
You can find art prints and canvas prints in his online store Abel Arts.
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