Meet the Artist, Erin Alice Gray| Artspace Southern Illinois Women’s Exhibition
Exhibition: Joy & Discovery—Diverse Expression
A Women’s Collective, celebrating the art of seven Southern Illinois women artists
Featured Artist: Erin Alice Gray
A professional artist, art and creativity have been part of Gray’s life since an early age. Growing up in a highly creative family, including her grandmother, parents, and an uncle who is a professional artist, being creative came naturally to her. She described that her home even had an “art room,” where she was surrounded by creativity and art making as a part of everyday life.
Working as a professional graphic designer, she found herself yearning for more creative expression, which led her to become a full-time professional artist. She shares:
“Art is a part of my life — it is who I am…it brings me joy.”
Art as an Individual Experience
Gray’s art is personal. She believes that created, hand-crafted work forms a direct connection between artist and viewer in a way that mass‑produced items simply can’t. Each person experiences a piece differently — something catches their eye, stirs a feeling, or creates a sense of meaning — and that individual response is part of what makes art powerful.
Inspired by Nature
Gray’s work is shaped by her passion for nature, finding beauty in the trees, flowers, the beach, the ocean, and the broader natural world. She finds inspiration in the flow and power of nature:
“…the ocean water on the sand [and] how marine life moves through the water.”
Beyond Color Sterotypes
Gray has a love of color and uses a vivid, bright palette that exudes joy. Her work challenges the idea that certain colors are inherently “feminine” or decorative. She invites viewers to see color without the boundaries society places on it — instead, as something drawn from nature that sparks imagination, communicates emotion, and captures attention on its own.
Gray talked about the color stereotypes she has encountered in critiques of her work. She shared that some people may enjoy a piece but still associate colors like pink with being “girly” or label certain palettes or paintings as feminine due to the color.
Gray’s art encourages viewers to move beyond their own boundaries or mental barriers and find personal meaning in her vibrant expressions, discovering a deeper individual connection.
Technique and Texture Play
Gray pushes the boundaries of traditional painting, blending it with sculptural elements and mixed media. Her process is playful yet intentional, using traditional materials in nontraditional ways and combining unexpected objects to create distinctive textures and effects.
Her work is driven by her passion for color — unexpected combinations that catch the eye and spark emotion — along with her interest in texture. She blurs the line between painting and sculpture, creating bold, three‑dimensional forms. In some pieces, she adds mixed‑media depth with paper, fabric, and other materials.
Her Encasings series layers dried paint, vintage encyclopedia pages, cut canvas, and even piping‑bag remnants onto wooden panels, then seals them in resin. She enjoys giving discarded materials new life.
Gray’s artwork reflects her talent, careful creativity, and playful, joyful nature. Viewing it in person is the best way to fully appreciate each piece.
See Her Work On View Now & Pieces for Purchase—Make an Impact
On view at Artspace Southern Illinois—On the Strip, with select pieces for purchase. Stop by to view a selection of her artwork, alongside work from other remarkable Southern Illinois women artists.