Canadian artist Erin Brekke Conn is most well known for her stunning paintings of trees. But her work is not simply about pictures of those largest and most ubiquitous of plants. Conn’s trees may take on an otherworldly appearance or may even embody a distinctive, almost human personality. There is a great variety of ways that she explores the tree motif, varying the depth of field, texture and palette. Some paintings are hard-edged graphic representations where branches reach out with angular precision, while others project a ghostly feeling as if the forests are alive with spirit. Her most dazzling works employ the energetic application of paint, made famous by the Abstract Expressionists, where splatters and drips of paint coat the canvas. "My tree series captures all the beauty trees embody, with a twist," she states.
Conn’s work has been featured in popular magazines and she has completed a number of commissioned pieces in addition to exhibiting in Canada and New York. She lives and works in Calgary.