b. 1980


San Diego 1980-1999
New York 1999-2017
Los Angeles 2017-Present



Eric Elms’ work exists in an intersection of graphic, collage, and painterly processes. His recent work explores the image as ephemera, comparing what was once the gateway into sub-cultures, preserved as stickers, posters, flyers, and imagery, with the fleeting hyper-paced slideshow of modern-day digital imagery. Each piece is a unique compound of hand-manipulated constructed elements. Pivotal to the work is the custom-made canvas treated with rubber dots, giving a nod to the ben-day patterns used in commercial printing processes. The dotted canvas is further manipulated by heat, which is used to melt pvc ink collages into the fabric. The repetition is also a deconstruction, an attempt to break away from the addiction to representation. What remains is born from the chaos and chance of destroying the image, blurring the focus nearly to the point of abstraction. Sitting atop each piece are curated trompe l’oeil painted adornments. Nostalgically pulled from a personal collection of ephemera and detritus, the icons used have been contextualized and translated to painting as an act of preservation. These works are both a celebration of the printed image and a mourning of its fleeting relevance.



eric@see.studio