Featured Artist: Erica Simon

When it comes to perspective, Erica Simon tends to reflect on the big picture.The really BIG picture.
“Most recently I’ve been taking a lot from images from the Hubble Space Telescope. I am deeply fascinated with celestial bodies. I purchased the book Cosmos, which included an image of a galaxy cluster. I thought it was absolutely breathtaking. I couldn’t grasp the idea that something so massive was captured in an 11” x 17” photograph.” Erica attempts to encapsulate both this sense of wonder and scale in her glass works: “I think that the idea of containing something as endless as the vastness of space into an object that can be held in your hand is greatly appealing.” And this humbling perspective, is one that Erica is keenly aware of in her day to day. Following a tragic car accident as a teenager, Erica was confronted with an inevitable truth of the universe: “ I became aware that my time on this planet is very limited, so I need to do everything I can to make a lasting impression. My life could have easily ended that day. I would have just been gone without ever doing anything significant. This is my biggest fear. I know that there is no telling what tomorrow will bring, but I am determined to do everything I can to make a mark on this world and do something worthwhile.”
With that determination, Erica received her Bachelors in Visual Arts from Keystone College and plans to continue onto graduate school. Specifically, in glassblowing: “During my first four years at Keystone, I was strictly a two dimensional artist, focusing on painting. It wasn’t until the semester of my senior exhibition that I discovered glass. I took the class because I needed a fundamental studio course to fulfill my requirements for graduation; I never dreamed that I would fall in love with it like I did. I ultimately decided to postpone graduation for a year so I could further my study of glass. Since then, I can’t get enough glass.”
You’ll be able to bid on works from Erica’s collection (like the ‘Space Geode’ pictured above) and a number of other outstanding artists on Friday, May 11th, 6pm at the Scranton Cultural Center. To see more of Erica’s work, visit her here.