Found Along the Shore
Erin Hollingshead
The Featured Artist's work can be seen online and in the gallery from August 5-30.
Opening reception: Friday, August 7, 5 -7 pm
Artist talk: Wednesday August 19 at noon.
Contact the gallery for inquiries.
About the Artist
Erin Hollingshead is a painter, illustrator, and printmaker living on the east coast of Canada in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia). Life near the Atlantic Ocean has been a constant source of inspiration for her work. Ever since she was a child, she has loved being in the water. Today, she spends her free time surfing, snorkeling, and walking the coastline, checking the tides and waves every day.
Her work explores the human connection and fascination with the ocean through a close observation of water, animals, algae, and the ever-changing coastal landscape. She has been an artist all her life but began pursuing it as a career in 2016 after graduating from NSCAD University, where she majored in painting and printmaking.
Since 2018, Erin has focused on developing an ongoing body of work inspired by the ocean, creating illustrations, paintings, and linocut prints. Her illustrations are primarily created with ink and watercolour, her paintings with oil paint, and her printmaking practice focuses on relief printing through hand-carved linocut.
You can find her on most social media platforms: @ehollingsheadart
Artist Statement
When I'm not in the studio, I'm usually surfing, snorkeling, or walking the coastline of Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. These experiences are not separate from my art practice, they are actually where it begins. Each artwork grows out of time spent paying attention to and connecting with the ocean, and the small, fleeting moments that require close and patient observation.
This body of work explores three recurring subjects that continue to draw me back to the ocean: the intricate animals and algae found within tide pools, the ever-changing surface of the water, and the ways we physically and mentally interact with the ocean. Close-up observation of seaweeds, shells, and rocks become intimate portraits of a landscape that is constantly shifting with the tides and seasons. Looking closely at these subjects reveals an extraordinary complexity and beauty that is easy to overlook.
The paintings of water surfaces grew from countless hours spent in the ocean, especially while surfing. Floating between waves offers a perspective that few people experience for long, providing the chance to quietly observe the water at eye level as it constantly shifts around you. I am drawn to the way light moves across the surface, the ribbons of foam left behind by breaking waves, and the subtle patterns created by its movement. These moments are fleeting, changing from one second to the next, and painting them is my way of holding onto experiences that would otherwise disappear almost as quickly as they arrived.
The final works introduce the human figure in subtle ways: a hand trailing through the water, or arranging shells along the beach. These gestures speak to the deeply personal relationship many of us have with the ocean. They reflect a desire not to change or possess nature, but simply to experience it through touch, curiosity, and presence.
Together, these paintings are a reflection of my own connection to Nova Scotia's coastline and attempt to offer an invitation to slow down, look closely, and appreciate the beauty found in small or fleeting moments.