Go on a journey with Erica Helder to learn how she draws inspiration from nature for her work! Erica Helder is a Canadian artist who creates soft and delicate abstracts with ink. Each piece begins with a story told through colour. She mixes alcohol ink, calligraphy ink, acrylic ink, and ground brass with isopropyl to create her pieces. Learn more about Erica’s process and how you can find inspiration in nature below.

What was your journey like to become an artist? What inspired you to start?

I’ve been painting since a young age, moving through styles and media for a long time before settling into my current abstract ink work. Art was an escape for me as a child; a way to find solace and comfort. Now, as an adult, I find myself coming back to my creativity more and more to heal and to share healing with those around me.

What does your art process look like?

I work in a collection model, so I’m often exploring a single theme through multiple pieces. I often start by flipping through my sketchbook, looking for threads that tie multiple pages together. I draw from the colours and movement in my sketches, the poems and words written in the pages, and the lessons learned outside of the studio. I take these bits and pieces of inspiration, and pull them into my art. I mix up the colours from the swatches in my sketchbook and try to paint how it feels.

Where do you draw inspiration for your art from?

My inspiration is heavily tied to storytelling; both the stories we tell, and the stories told by the earth. I like to think that everything has a story if we’re able to listen closely enough. It’s an art in and of itself: the ability to notice a particular tree or fern and figure out what story it tells. It takes a bit of creativity, but weaving stories together with colour and movement is the basis of how my pieces are born.

What is your favorite landscape?

Joshua Tree and the surrounding Mojave and Colorado deserts will always hold a special place in my heart. Having spent so many years in the great lakes region, I’m in awe of the stark contrast that the desert brings to my usually lush and green world. The colours of the rocks are otherworldly, the skies are seemingly endless, and there is something so magical about such a vast and vibrant place!

What parts of nature inspire your art the most?

I love imagining the secrets of nature. What do bees do with their downtime? How do trees send signals through their roots? Why do crows have so many calls? I love untangling the myths and lore around these secrets and trying to find a way to connect them to the human experience. If it’s hard to find or see, I’m probably going to be fascinated by it.

What’s your favorite lesson that you have learned from nature?

Nature is so incredibly resilient. From the great Sequoias that withstand wildfires, to the persistence of the wildlife in the desert, I am constantly in awe of nature’s ability to keep going. It’s a great reminder for me; when things get tough, I can always look to nature to remember how to withstand them.

How do you soak in your time in nature and bring it to life through your art?

It’s important to me to be able to get back in touch with my inner wild. When hiking or road tripping through a new place, I make sure to set aside time to simply exist in nature. Touching all the mosses, dipping my toes in the water, laying down to watch the trees sway in the wind; whatever the process of re-wilding demands.

Once I feel like I’m full of inspiration, that’s when I sit and play in my sketchbook. I try to capture as much of the experience as I can on a simple two-page spread. I add colour swatches, feelings, and words that come to mind; anything that will help me return to the feelings when I get back to the studio.

How do you capture your inspiration so you can draw from it later in your art studio?

My sketchbook process may seem weird at times, but it’s my number one tool for bringing home my inspiration. Alongside sketches of whatever landscapes have caught my eye, you’ll find snippets of poetry and journaling, ideas for pieces, and swatches of ink that I match to the colours around me on my adventures. When I come back to the studio, I open up my sketchbook and see what stories the pages are telling. Oftentimes, a page becomes a whole new piece.

What made you want to do your Postcards from the Wild series?

I know how fortunate I am to be able to travel the way I do. I am always listening for ways that I can make my art accessible to others. The beauty of this trip was such a gift to me, and I was looking for a way to make that accessible to others as well, knowing that not everyone is able to explore endless miles of the wilderness. I wanted to be able to create small, affordable originals inspired by the landscapes I was immersed in. The idea of “Postcards” came about at my first stop, in Joshua Tree National Park, where the park store had a rack of postcards for sale. I used to always send postcards when I traveled – a quick snapshot of a sight with a short message on the back. It’s a bit of nostalgia for me, and it fit the theme of bringing back snippets of beauty from a trip abroad!

What are your go-to supplies for doing art while traveling?

• A hardcover sketchbook: it adds a bit of weight to your daypack, but the durability is worth the trade-off!
• Princeton Mini-Detailer brushes: they are perfectly compact and great for adding details to your sketches.
• Princeton Velvetouch brushes: I like the round sizes 4 and 6 for adding quick washes of colour for skies and mountains.
• Ink swatches and tape: the quickest method of making sure I can recreate the colours of an adventure.
• Sealed test tubes: it seems strange, but it’s the perfect way to bring a bit of ink along on a hike.
• Freezer bags: the easiest way to keep everything safe from rain or waterfall mist, and a great way to divide your supplies from the rest of your gear.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to find more inspiration for their art?

One of the best things you can do for your creativity is to take it out of your comfort zone! Take yourself to see an entirely unfamiliar part of the world. Challenge yourself to an entirely new experience. Create with colours you rarely touch. Make space for discomfort and see how much you grow from it!

Thanks for sharing your inspiration and process with us, Erica! We’d love to hear how you find inspiration for your work. Share with us on Instagram or Facebook and tag us @princetonbrush.