Once every few decades there comes an artist imbued with the capacity to redefine an aesthetic approach that intrigues the attention of the art community, beyond just the rumor of a new phenomenon in the art world. Erik Abel is the precursor for this millennium as an innovative artist who has captured the magic it takes to electrify the avant-garde spark of artistic enthusiasm throughout the art community. Abel achieves this by harnessing the symbolism and dynamism of one of nature’s most powerfully psychological optical references: the ocean.

The bold simplicity and power of his new creations have captured the energy of his predecessors and reignited the attention of art collectors, connoisseurs and art institutions throughout the world. It is no coincidence that the ocean became the most influential and inspirational aspect of Erik’s life. Born in 1980 near the Southern California seaside town of Ventura, his parents immersed him in the ocean lifestyle while he was still an infant. His mother enrolled him in special swim classes when he was only 6 months old, and his father and uncles started taking him out on their fishing boats to the Channel Islands off the coast of Ventura and Santa Barbara from the time he was a small boy. He was bodysurfing, bodyboarding and skiing by the age of 3.

One day while in the 4th grade, Abel was sitting in class when he spontaneously began drawing an upside-down image of a woman on the front of his T-shirt. He sold photocopies of this early work to his classmates for 25 cents each. This was his first commercial sojourn into the art world. Instantaneously, he knew that his creative talent was good for more than just expression; from that moment it would define his way of life. At age 11, as a Junior Lifeguard on the beaches of Ventura, Abel discovered an experience other than art that would also dictate and change the course of his life forever: surfing. Riding waves immediately became a focal point in Erik’s life.

This new and growing passion immediately bled into his artistic expressions. His school notebooks and homework assignments were transformed into small sketchbooks where he learned to graphically and two-dimensionally work out the dynamics of oceanic waveforms. The ocean is Abel’s predominant source of inspiration and energy. The balance of chaos and predictability, force and serenity, fear and joy, the known and unknown, inspires a tension expressed through the exploration of color and dynamic compositions seen in Abel’s work. His artwork continues to gain renown while the aspects of his unequivocal style of oceanic imagery continue to encompass more artistic maturity and popularity. His voyage toward self-discovery and personal expression has put him center-stage in the courtroom of the art world to be judged by a jury consisting of both his peers and the public. The verdict is in: “Young man, you are sentenced to a lifetime of health, happiness, prosperity and making waves of everlasting enjoyment for you and your admirers.”
To purchase Erik’s new Concrete Wave limited-issue poster and see his complete  biography, go to www.stcoin.com