Erika Norris the Tacoma Artist you Should Definitely Know about

Erika Norris is serving up bite sized artworks you'll want to see closer. Hear about her practice, experience and inspirations.

all photos provided by Erika Norris

Who is Erika Norris?

Erika Norris is a visual artist based in Tacoma, WA. She works in colored pencils, paper cut outs and does web production/design on the side. Erika says that she always wanted to do something creative with her life and as she became older she was drawn to the visual arts. "I fell in love with the act of translating research into a visual language" says Erika.

She has a BA from New York University and an MAFA from Goldsmith’s College through LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore. She's also taken a bunch of workshops and short courses around art business and art making. She recommends; “Working in a Series” by Lisa Call.

Erika Norris has tried out many mediums but colored pencils and paper cut outs have won over her heart. She learned how to draw by copying pictures out of magazines with a mechanical pencil and when she was introduced to colored pencils she fell in love. From a young age she has taught herself and when something wasn't working the internet could fill in the gaps.

As a kid she loved crafts and making mod-podge boxes as gifts for friends. That interest came out during grad school as she became interested in sculptural collages. Those explorations led to her ingenious book cutouts.