Aimee Erickson (b. 1967, Paris) is an oil painter living in Portland, Oregon. She was trained as an illustrator and has developed a warm, inviting pictorial voice grounded in traditional realism, informed by the principles of design, and inspired by nature and human experience. She holds a BFA in Visual Communication Design, and has also studied with a number of prominent painters including Sherrie McGraw, David Leffel, Burton Silverman, Joseph Paquet, William Park, Stephen Hayes, and Ray Roberts. Aimee is the first woman artist to paint an Oregon gubernatorial portrait, that of Barbara Roberts in 1997. The portrait hangs in the Oregon State House, upstairs on the legislature side. Aimee teaches studio and plein-air painting, drawing, and color theory locally and at venues nationwide. She has a particular interest in what enables or inhibits our progress as artists. How do we learn to see what we cannot yet see? How do our beliefs influence our ability to perceive? What is the role of knowledge in the realm of choice? How do we “tune in” to our artistic perception? Aimee’s work has been awarded top prizes in many national competitions, including Oil Painters of America, American Women Artists, the Portrait Society of America, and multiple notable plein air competitions.

AWARDS & SHOWS
2019 Maui Plein Air
2019 Plein Air Easton
2019 Laguna Beach Plein Air Invitational
2019 Demo at PACE (Plein Air Convention and Expo)
2018 Best Use of Color, Olmsted Plein Air Invitational
2018 American Impressionist Society Small Works Showcase
2018 "Nocturnes" solo showcase, Meyer Vogl Gallery
2018 Oil Painters of America Salon Show
2018 Second Place, Best New Artist to Easton. Plein Air Easton
2018 Artists' Choice, Paint Grand Traverse
2018 Sonoma Plein Air
2018 National Scenic Area Award, Pacific Northwest Plein Air
2018 Kinsman Family Foundation Award, Laguna Plein Air Invitational
2017 Best in Show, Laguna Plein Air Invitational
2017 International Plein Air, Kostroma, Russia
2017 Best of Show and Museum Purchase Award, Pacific Northwest Plein Air
2017 Best of Show and Clyde Aspevig Judge's Choice Awards, Olmsted Plein Air
2017 Door County Plein Air
2017 "Six by Nine Sale," Portrait Society of America invitational show
2017 Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition
2017 Oil Painters of America Paint-out/paint-in, 4th place
2016 Laguna Beach Plein Air Invitational
2016 Second Place & Best Water, Pacific Northwest Plein Air
2016 Best of Show, Just Plein Fun, Balboa Island, California
2016 End-of-Residency Solo Exhibition, University Club of Portland
2016 Still Life Honorable Mention, OPA National Exhibition, Dallas TX
2016 4th Place, OPA's Best Little Paint-out in Texas
2016 University Club of Portland Artist-in-Residence Alumni Showcase
2016 Mid-Residency Solo Show, University Club of Portland
2016 "All Along the Sierra" Juried Show at Epperson Gallery
2016 "Less is More" LPAPA at Forest & Ocean Gallery
2015 "Inspired by Sorolla" LPAPA at Forest & Ocean Gallery
2015 "LPAPA After Dark," Forest & Ocean Gallery
2015 "Recent Paintings" solo show at Brian Marki Fine Art
2015 "Instructors' Show" Multnomah Arts Center
2015 Strada Award, Laguna Beach Plein Air
2015 OPA National Exhibition, Cutter & Cutter Fine Art, St. Augustine FL
2015 Sonoma Plein Air
2015 Mendocino Open Paint Out, Celebrity Guest Artist
2015 Door County Plein Air
2015  OPA Western Regional Exhibition
2015 "Where in the World is Plein Air" online national paint-out
2015 "Six by Nine Sale," Portrait Society of America invitational show
2015 "Everyday Taste of Plein Air" invitational show, Giustina Gallery at OSU
2015  Best QuickDraw and Honorable Mention, Carmel Art Festival
2015 "Aimee Erickson and Wayne McKenzie" at Nancy Dodds Gallery
2015 Honorable Mention, Kern County Plein Air