Erick I. Rodriguez

Artist Statement

Born in Caracas Venezuela, Erick I. Rodriguez is a Southerner living in Portland, Oregon. Art has always been a part of his life. This love began as a child watching his mother paint in the district "El 23 de Enero". His early childhood benefited from dedicated teachers at Fe y Alegria Abraham Reyes that included art as a part of the curriculum.

Moving to Tennessee at age twelve and completing high school, Erick attended college at Middle Tennessee State University and graduated in 2004 with a Bachelors of Arts. His education continued with a certificate in Business Management at McGill University in 2007. Erick later moved to Portland and began working in finance in 2013.
Erick’s love of art was renewed by the Oregon landscape. He began to study and work with oils under the supervision of noted artists Brooke Walker-Knoblich. Working with the artists and instructors at the Oregon Society of Artists, Erick has continued to develop a unique style of brush work. Expressions of childhood memories and the Oregon landscape now fill his canvas. Erick has participated in multiple art shows and galleries within the Pacific Northwest, south Florida and continues to receive numerous awards. His dream is to have two art galleries, one in his current home and the other one in his native home Caracas Venezuela, where artists from all over the world will be welcome to display their work.

Erick established Criollo Paintings Art Studio in 2020 in downtown Portland. A portion of all art purchases goes to Fe y Alegría Venezuela and to Venezuela’s Voice in Oregon.