Erika Osborne

Region: South

As one of a growing group of artists in the field of environmental art, I am devoted to the investigation of contemporary notions of place. My personal artistic research not only addresses how we culturally connect to the landscapes that surround us, but is also focused on the complexities of that connection in a world where the environment is loved and abused simultaneously.

Most recently, I have been creating paintings based on the iconic visual language of the American sublime landscape painters who traveled to the western United States and abroad. My imagery addresses the role these artists played in the expansionism of Manifest Destiny. Using their visual structure, I paint the effects their work helped bring about—the boom of industry, development, and growth—and the consequences we continue to see today.