Erik Long

May 14 - July 7, 2024

For his first solo exhibition, Red Inc., Long has completely transformed the exhibition space, covering the walls from floor to ceiling with his illustrations.  Come experience the world of Red Inc. at an

Long has this to say about Red Inc.,  “I am an ink artist specializing in the world of warm and weird. I start my drawings in pencil and go over them in micron pens. I work in black ink and then enhance with red stippling. My main motif is flowing red roots. I have always been enchanted by plants and gardens and have included these roots to frame and interact in most of my pieces.  Another motif you will see in my drawings are creatures with blazing red eyes.  I want these elements to induce whimsy in the viewer but also a sense of danger; what is lurking behind the gleaming red eyes of the Dik Dik in denim? 

“You might ask yourself, why red?  Red is my favorite color along with green and that’s not at all for Christmas reasons.  No offense to the Christmas community.  My love for this color stems back to my intense obsession with the Ruby slippers in The Wizard of Oz.  They are my favorite part of the film and I still get butterflies when I think about them.  These shoes are calming and beautiful but they also represent power, danger, and adventure. I use ruby red ink to incorporate my images with these Ozian ideals. 

“Because my drawings are small, in this show, I wanted to enlarge the roots to immerse the viewer in my zany world.  Since the roots travel through my drawings, why not have them travel throughout the entire gallery?

“I have been drawing since childhood and have always had love for dark fantasy and cute, quaint imagery. I like to think of my art as a mixture of themes inspired by Beatrix Potter, Tim Burton and of course L Frank Baum.”