Spotlight On: Will Erickson

I am so excited about this post! Here at Where The Style Things Are, we definitely admire and reward good style and taste, and rare is the moment when we come across a guy capable of blowing our socks off. Behold New Orleans’ Will Erickson, who was kind enough to answer a few questions.

    Hi Will! I heard you have amazing taste and renovate houses...tell me a little bit about what you do. What's the hardest part about your job?

The hardest part of my job is trying to balance time to organize myself and make sure my projects progress daily. There is always problem solving along the way but organization is the key to keeping myself together.

What's the best part?

The best part of my job is it's the perfect example of what I love to do - design a space for the people who will live in it and tie it together with art. Last is the completion of the project. Usually, it takes quite a bit of work to reach this point and it is so nice when my clients are happy and the end product turns out to be even better than I expected! The most fun along the way is the design, picking materials, fixtures and great hardware. I was born to work for myself. Some kids played sports, I played office. Seriously, I had my mom go out and get me a stapler and desk so I could play bossman.

       

mom’s house, designed by Will

Ha, that’s incredible! Who are your clients?

My clients vary in age but most are friends of friends who are sophisticated and have an idea of what they want. I act as a guide to design and the one who makes sure the project is as painless as possible. Working in my field is great in New Orleans because people take real ownership of their homes as a reflection of themselves. Everyone buys things they love and mixes them with their inherited pieces. Their personal items against the backdrop of their living spaces makes for very unique environments. I'm glad to help bring their visions to fruition.

A client’s closet – a perfect man’s closet!

A client’s porch

A client’s living room in New Orleans

 

Tell me about your house...where did you get the items from? Which is your favorite?

Actually, my house was completely renovated when I moved in. I quickly began placing furniture and trying to decide where art was going. A house is a never ending project...There is always something you want to change or improve. Most of the items in my house I have searched for over the last several years. I go to a lot of shops on Magazine street and I also go to the auction from time to time. I have to say some of my favorite pieces are artwork. I have a new piece by my favorite local artist, George Dunbar. He is such a cool guy, talented artist and an inspiration.

 

Two of Will’s favorite pieces in his home, a French barometer and a George Dunbar relief from his Marshgrass series

one of a pair of caned chairs from a shop on Magazine Street

Your paintings are amazing...one was featured in The Wooten's apartment in the Times. Was that by commission ?

Thank you so much! The one in the NYT was a commission. Andrew and Elizabeth are great friends. She called me one day and said she entered some sort of lottery to have their apartment redecorated by a designer and said she wanted me to do a painting for them. Several weeks went by and Elizabeth called and told me they wanted a 4' x 6' painting for over their sofa! That is a big one to ship to NYC! She had seen some landscapes I did and decided that was the subject of the commission. There was a lot of back and forth emails between us and the designer and at one point I didn't think the designer wanted the painting because it did not photograph well. Anyway, I finished it and shipped it. When it was uncrated they ALL loved it. It was bright colors but in my painting style, which is a little expressionist.

photo credit: Donna Alberico for the New York Times 

What do you paint? How can someone contact you that wants to have a painting commissioned?

I love to paint architecture and landscapes. I find myself painting people's first houses or places where they met or had a first date. Also, I like painting dogs, cats and occasionally rabbits. I have fun choosing a photo to work from and also putting together a great color palette.

My friend Rebecca set up a new blog for me, which has been great because I wrote on stone tablets up until a couple of years ago. The blog has sparked  so much interest in my work and it is a great way for people to see a variety of my work. My email and photo number are listed on the blog.

http://willerickson.blogspot.com/

“The Halfway House” by Will Erickson

Tell me on more awesome thing about yourself.

Some of my friends refer to me as a "walking Zagat’s"  because I have been to just about every bar and restaurant in New Orleans. Its what you do when you live in such a fun city.

A final note about Will’s fantastic talent and taste from the owners of the painting in the New York Times article:

“I absolutely love Will Erickson's work and completely trust his impeccable taste so when it came time to  find a great piece of art as we redecorated our living room, I immediately called Will. He's such a talented, confident artist that he knew exactly what would look best in the space. Sure enough, the room, a mix of traditional and modern style, did not fully come together until we hung Will's fabulous abstract landscape painting.  It absolutely makes the room, and people immediately gravitate to it when they walk in our apartment. It's light and modern but timeless..it'll always hang prominently anywhere we live.  Will has the best sense of style and great taste which is conveyed in his fabulous paintings.”

-Elizabeth Smart Wooten

 special thanks to Lollie Britt for suggesting a profile on Will!

xo