Born 1967, Paris | Lives and works in Portland, Oregon“Color has emotional weight and is related to the shape of space. Drawing or painting, for me, means to look at the thing and transmit its vitality to the canvas.”Aimee Erickson is an oil painter known for her perceptive use of color and her grounding in traditional realism. Trained as an illustrator, she holds a BFA in Visual Communication Design and has studied with a number of prominent painters, including Sherrie McGraw, David Leffel, Burton Silverman, Joseph Paquet, William Park, Stephen Hayes, and Ray Roberts.In 1997, Erickson became the first woman commissioned to paint an official gubernatorial portrait in Oregon. Her portrait of Governor Barbara Roberts hangs in the Oregon State Capitol.Her recent work includes the publication of Plein Air Techniques for Artists, a comprehensive book on observational painting. She was selected by the U.S. Department of State to represent the United States in a cultural exchange in Turkmenistan, participating in a plein air painting program with artists from around the world. She currently serves as vice president of Oil Painters of America and leads Paint Club, her online teaching platform featuring twice-monthly live lessons that pair painting with poetry.Erickson teaches painting, drawing, and color theory both in the studio and outdoors. Her teaching is grounded in inquiry: How do we learn to see what we cannot yet see? How do beliefs shape perception? What is the role of knowledge in aesthetic choice?Her work has received top awards from national organizations including Oil Painters of America, American Women Artists, and the Portrait Society of America, as well as at numerous plein air events nationwide. Selected Awards 2025Best in Show, American Impressionist Society Small Works ShowcaseSolo exhibition Home & Away, Meyer Gallery, Santa FeParticipant, Oil Painters of America National Exhibition2024Artists’ Choice Award, Laguna Plein Air InvitationalExhibitor, Oil Painters of America Salon ShowExhibitor, Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition2023Still Life Award of Excellence, Oil Painters of America National ExhibitionExhibitor, American Impressionist Society Small Works ShowExhibitor, Laguna Plein Air InvitationalU.S. Representative, Plein Air Cultural Exchange in Turkmenistan (U.S. Department of State)Solo exhibition, Meyer Gallery, Santa Fe2022Participant, “The Wild Side,” Catalina InvitationalSolo exhibition, Meyer Vogl Gallery2021Second Place, Oil Painters of America Wet Paint Competition2020Participant, California Art Club Gold Medal ExhibitionMonotype Invitational, Oregon Society of Artists2019Grand Prize (Timothy Dills Memorial Award), Plein Air EastonArtists’ Choice, Plein Air EastonArtists’ Choice, Paint OxfordExhibitor at:PACE (Plein Air Convention & Expo)Laguna Beach InvitationalSonoma Plein AirMaui Plein AirCatalina InvitationalOil Painters of America National Exhibition2018Best Use of Color, Olmsted Plein Air InvitationalSecond Place & Best New Artist, Plein Air EastonArtists’ Choice, Paint Grand TraverseKinsman Family Foundation Award, Laguna Plein Air InvitationalNational Scenic Area Award, Pacific Northwest Plein AirExhibitor, American Impressionist Society Small Works ShowcaseSolo exhibition “Nocturnes,” Meyer Vogl Gallery2017Best of Show & Museum Purchase Award, Pacific Northwest Plein AirBest of Show & Clyde Aspevig Judge's Choice Award, Olmsted Plein AirDoor County Plein Air“Six by Nine Sale,” Portrait Society of America (invited)Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition6th Place, Oil Painters of America Paint-Out/Paint-In2016Best of Show, Just Plein Fun, Balboa Island, CA2nd Place & Best Water, Pacific Northwest Plein AirHonorable Mention (Still Life), OPA National Exhibition, Dallas, TXEnd-of-Residency and Mid-Residency Solo Exhibitions, University Club of Portland“All Along the Sierra,” Epperson Gallery“Less is More,” LPAPA at Forest & Ocean Gallery2015Strada Award, Laguna Beach Plein AirBest QuickDraw & Honorable Mention, Carmel Art FestivalMendocino Open Paint Out, Guest ArtistSonoma Plein AirOPA National and Western Regional Exhibitions“Inspired by Sorolla,” LPAPA at Forest & Ocean Gallery“Everyday Taste of Plein Air,” Giustina Gallery at OSUSolo exhibition, Brian Marki Fine Art“Aimee Erickson and Wayne McKenzie,” Nancy Dodds Gallery2014Gold Medal, First Annual International Juried Artists Guild ExhibitionBest of Show, American Women Artists National Juried ShowAward of Excellence for Portraiture, Oil Painters of AmericaAward of Exceptional Merit, Portrait Society of AmericaArtists’ Choice, Sonoma Plein Air1st Place, Carmel Art Festival1st Place, Emerging Plein-Air Artists Competition2013Best Two-Dimensional Work, American Women Artists1st Place, Pacific Northwest Plein Air1st Place, Eugene Paint-Out1st Place, Honorable Mention & People’s Choice, Carmel Art FestivalEducation BFA, Visual Communication Design, Brigham Young University, 1991Additional study with:Sherrie McGraw, David Leffel, Burton SilvermanRichard Pionk, Art Students League of New YorkJoseph Paquet, Florence Academy of ArtProfessional Affiliations Vice President, Oil Painters of America (Signature Member)Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, Signature MemberSalmagundi Club, NYAmerican Impressionist SocietyAudubon Artists, NYCAmerican Women ArtistsPortrait Society of America International Projects & ResidenciesU.S. Department of State–sponsored plein air painting exchange in Turkmenistan, representing the United States