About Me
I was born and raised in Finland by a Scandinavian father and an American mother.  There is a part of both countries in me.  My family is artistic on both sides, although only one member of my family was a career artist.  That was my American grandfather, who was a portrait and landscape painter in Missouri.

When I was young, my mother painted quite a lot.  Her beautiful abstract expressionist paintings resonated with me.  In some way, I am influenced by her, although our styles are so different.

My other greatest influence was growing up in Finland:  the simplicity of Finnish design, the quietude of the people, the stillness of the beautiful Finnish nature, the uncrowdedness, and the cleanliness of both city and countryside.

My primary interests are psychology and spiritual philosophy.  I am interested in the inner life of everybody and everything.  Even inanimate objects I feel exude some sort of energy.  When painting, I am interested in that inner life, and in color and light.  I almost always paint from life; if I am doing a commissioned portrait, I paint or draw only from photos that I have taken myself.

I live in Maryland with my two beautiful children.  I have a BFA from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and I attended Pratt Institute in New York City.
Contact: ericaaschan@yahoo.com