"Percolations and Musings of the Fire Eater" acrylic, mixed media

Percolations and Musings
Erik Pearson

People often wonder where my ideas come from. 

I store images, characters, stories, props, costumes, colors, and more on the back burner of my mind. There, they percolate and begin to mix together, waiting to be poured out onto page, canvas, or sculpture. I grew up celebrating aspects of my Finnish heritage. Coffee at family gatherings, big or small, was always present and important. Gathering around a table with cup in hand, the stories and laughter would spill out into the room and become alive. I still find that a good coffee shop or a comfortable space, allows me to daydream and access all the ideas and stories that I've been saving, and generate new ones that I didn't know existed yet. 

This collection of artwork was generated or influenced by a good cup of coffee in a warm inviting space. Please raise a cup and listen to the stories that they tell you. Let them percolate, and add them to your own collection of ideas.

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Erik Pearson was born and raised in Northern Wisconsin by Lake Superior where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with emphasis in painting from the University of Wisconsin - Superior. In 2001 he was awarded the first artist-in-residence at Lanesboro Arts in Minnesota and has been a full-time artist ever since. In 2005 he completed his first public mural project, also with Lanesboro Arts, and has created over twenty public murals since then, working with city officials, community groups, and business owners in the process. Erik has been creating and exploring new techniques in his paintings, sculptures, mixed media illustrations, murals, and sculptural installations for over twenty years. He has shared his ideas with the community through artist demonstrations and workshops and has also served as a commissioner on the public art Placemaking Commission in Bloomington, MN.