Spotlight Artist

Erik Barthels

South
Artist profile photo
Featured in New American Paintings

Artist Statement

I create vivid abstractions that harness the power of chance to explore color and form. I’m interested in making loosely sequential images that echo the disjointed and time-specific color palettes of cultural ephemera and nostalgia. The geometrically painted images yield variations that juxtapose considered and spontaneous mark making. Collage elements supplant the subtle nuances of paint with hard edged geometries. The accumulative hypnotic effect of the paintings is offset by textural variation that adds a weathered, impulsive energy.

Discover more artists from the South

THE MAGAZINE

Explore our magazine to discover exceptional artists

Open magazine with text, modern illustrations, and a list of artists on a pink background.
View issues

Call for Artists

Submit your work for consideration

New American Paintings is a juried exhibition-in-print and digital, presenting the work of 40 emerging artists in each issue.

View competitions

Your gateway to new art

Discover tomorrow's art stars, today

Two books on a wooden table with a modern decorative sculpture in the background.

PRINT + EARLY ACCESS DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

$179/YEAR

DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

$99/YEAR OR $10/MONTH

Each issue of New American Paintings features forty artists selected through our juried competitions—presented in a beautifully curated, full-color publication. Subscribers receive six issues per year, plus exclusive online access to current and past editions. Are you a collector? Consider our premium subscription and receive our museum-quality printed publication + access to each new digital issue two weeks before its general release.