Erica’s Artist Statement

Erica Schaffel is an intuitive artist living in Asheville, NC. Her lifelong passion for art turned to purpose in 2017 when an undiagnosed autoimmune disease left her bedridden for six months. During this time Erica desperately desired to paint, as a means of escape and to process the intense emotions she felt during this incredibly challenging time. But the acrylics of her past were far too messy to manage while confined to a bed. 

This is when Erica discovered watercolor, and the fluid nature of the medium transformed her life and work, forever. 

Erica’s approach to painting mirrors her own life’s unpredictable path - it’s spontaneous, unscripted, and underscored by the tension between light and dark. Through her work, Erica seeks to remind herself and others that beauty can and will surface, even in the darkest of times, when you surrender and go with the flow.