A bit about Alethea Eriksson and why and what she paints

About my art

I paint expressive abstract paintings which are restorative and invigorating, mirroring the feelings that nature awakens in me.

They emerge gradually from an intuitive creative process and are an exploration of my memories and moods, but primarily, are an exploration of paint, colour, shapes, line, and texture.

I love the process of painting itself and I lose myself in it. It contributes to my well-being, my sense of wholeness and my connection to my environment.

Typically, my process moves from free, energetic and intuitive to more deliberate and slow. My paintings are not planned - they each evolve in multiple layers until they feel right.

These days I use acrylic and combined with drawing media. I particularly like the freedom of painting on paper, but also use canvas or wood.

About me

As far back as I can remember, nature was a place of refuge and renewal for me.

I grew up in South Africa in a family of gardeners and nature lovers. Inevitably I too became a gardener. This was my main creative outlet for four decades and is still something I love doing. Getting my hands dirty, seeing the result of what you do, seeing the way the seasons change the picture, and how small additions complete it. Challenging and rewarding, just like painting.

I studied art history at university (BA Hons) and planned to make a career in art. However, the situation in South Africa was precarious so when the opportunity arose to emigrate to Switzerland, we seized it. Reality hit. I had a family; I needed to learn German and earn some money. While doing the former, I was offered a job teaching English to adults and so my life took this unexpected turn. Twenty-five years later, after an interesting career in the foreign language teaching business, I decided it was time to reorientate my life. At 56, I started a painting course and fell immediately in love. Time flew by, my head switched off. I’d found my thing.

Ten years later, I still love making art. I love the process, the challenge, pretty much everything. I’ve done a lot of self-study and a lot of courses and workshops both in Switzerland and abroad. These reflect my curiosity, my search and my need to push myself.

I started showing my work in 2017 and since then have exhibited in various galleries in Switzerland. I have permanent representation at the gallery, La Paletta in Flims and was accepted for an artist's residency in Iceland in 2019. Since 2021 my work has been on the juried on-line platform Singulart. I became a member of SGBK (The Swiss Association of Women Artists) in 2022.