Artist Eric Carlson relaxes with his work at Steaming Bean Coffee./Photo by Todd Newcome

by Jules Masterjohn

Coffee houses and art are synergistic companions, probably due to the compliment of caffeine and cerebral cortex stimulation. We are fortunate to have a local java joint owner, Julie Dunn, who values our creative community and dedicates the four walls of her Steaming Bean Coffee Co. to a different local artist's work each month.

Currently on the walls of the "Bean," and only for a few more days, are paintings and illustrations by wandering artist Eric Carlson. For the past 15 years, he has lived a nomadic lifestyle, seasonally working southwest archaeological sites. Most recently, his skills brought him to the Dead Sea Basin of Jordan to work Neolithic and Early Bronze Age sites for the University of Notre Dame. A small number of beautifully rendered site illustrations are displayed along with his larger, more personal paintings.

Strongly influenced by the experiences, places and people Carlson encounters in the field, his coffee-colored canvasses are a nerved-up swirling of psychological symbols and entities taking a variety of natural forms. The tone of Carlson's paintings are an apt fit for a venue that promotes quick thinking and sharing of ideas his provocative paintings have stimulated a number of conversations on the premises between patrons. His images are full and frenzied with cultures and activity, revealing dynamic narratives that require some serious looking and are thusly rewarding.

Born and raised in Juneau, Alaska, Carlson was surrounded by the rich history and prehistory of the Northwest Coast. This environment has influenced how he conceptualizes form and energy, psyche and soma. "In the animals and birds, people find reflections of themselves. In the behaviors and motions of these creatures, we are reminded of the wild strengths and passions, which still unconsciously motivate us." He describes a visual heritage in the Northwest, replete with images of various four-legged and winged things merging with the human kind. "Transformational art is ubiquitous there. Whether it be in sculptures, masks or carvings, humans are everywhere seen caught in half-completed fusions with whales, wolves and birds. There is a public mural in downtown Juneau that depicts the Tlingit cosmogony, First Man emerging from a clam, being pried open by the talons of a raven, a man/bear hybrid stands nearby."

Having learned well from the indigenous art of the Northwest Coast, Carlson fills his canvasses with dynamic compositions of morphing creatures cavorting in nature. In his monochromatic acrylic painting, "Air to Land Transition," four beings in various degrees of humanness dominate the picture plane. The viewer's gaze easily moves around the canvas, reading the evolution story Carlson is telling. Human arms, belonging to a centrally located feathered being, are removing its own wings while kneeling in a gently swirling stream. My attention is drawn to a white halo atop the central figure's head, inside is a running man whose head sprouts smallish antlers. Carlson reveals the meaning of this image: "The circle above the head is the personality's desire for terrestriality." In the distance, keeping watch over this molting creature, is a human-faced deer with a few feathers growing from its head. "This character expresses the opposite desire, to transcend from being earthbound to the air." Two other large canvasses, "Whirlwind and Fireheads" and "Song of Wandering Aengus," further explore Carlson's personal mythology, blending his knowledge of indigenous cultures with the scientific world.

Carlson achieves his intricate paintings through a complicated process that allows him to thoroughly investigate his imagery. "Each piece that I create proceeds through four or five stages, beginning with the rough sketch, the laying out of the composition, the creation of characters, and the formulation of the 'story,'" he said. Research is done on the items/symbols used, and each piece is then inked or engraved, and a portion of the image is transferred to the larger canvas. "Air to Land Transition" is a cropped portion of a more complex print, he said, where only the "heart" of the idea was saved and the more "extraneous imagery" was let go.

It's not surprising that Carlson's images depict the stuff of dreamtime and are dusted with symbolic representations, his academic studies included psychology and anthropology, though a more influential experience was drawing class. "Each student carried a small black sketch book and sketched out ideas, stories, memories, dreams furiously and presented the images for discussion. We analyzed symbols, which began re-appearing throughout our images, and we began delving deeper into each others subconscious through this imagery."

It also is not surprising that his rendering skills are impeccable, most likely due to his working almost half of his life as an archaeological illustrator. "Field excavation requires recognizing and documenting visual components and recording them accurately and completely." It is evident that Carlson's technical prowess has been influenced by the work of master draftsman and printmaker, Renaissance artist Albrect D`FCrer.

A laborious process to achieve a finished work, Carlson is most inspired by the drawing and designing of his pieces. "The creation of the composition in its roughly sketched stages is the most satisfying component in the artistic process for me ... playing with motion and ideas, various characters ... it is the freest that I ever feel."

Carlson is adamant about the importance of drawing, urging others to take up the pencil and draw, to carry a sketchbook and record what is seen, dreamt and felt, "opening up a deeper world of understanding, of experiencing the world a bit more intimately."

Eric Carlson's work is on display at Steaming Bean Coffee Co., 915 Main Ave., through April 30. His work can also be seen at www.wsu.edu/~goodale.