About Frank Errickson: Stained Glass Artist and Painter

Surf Art Studios

Stained glass artist Frank Errickson surfing.

Frank Errickson working on a stained glass window.

Hurricane Isabel.... 2003

Hello, I’m Frank Errickson. I’m a young artist and surfer, and I live in New
Jersey. I come from a very artistic family. You don’t have to look too far to
discover how I initially gained an interest in the arts. My mother was a potter
and jewelry artist, and now she is an intensive care nurse who still produces
beautiful pieces of jewelry. My father is a woodworker and homebuilder who
makes furniture and ukuleles among other things in exotic hardwoods (Hawaiian
curly koa being his favorite wood). He helps make many of my stained glass
windows unique by crafting custom exotic hardwood frames, some with abalone
inlay. He also plays acoustic guitar and steel drums along with my older brother
Bill (a gifted musician as well). He is a farm manager and educator at D Acres,
an organic farm and educational homestead (www.dacres.org) with his fiancée,
Lauren. They are involved in promoting sustainable communities and
agriculture. At the age of nine my parents bought me some stained glass tools,
scrap pieces of glass, and painting supplies. I’ve been working in the two
mediums ever since.
As can be seen in my art, one of my inspirations for my latest series of works
has been the time I have spent in Hawaii. I have been surfing before I was
crafting artwork, and my desire to surf different waves and experience different
cultures has lead me to spend a lot of time on the north shore of Oahu. When I
am there, I just try to absorb all of the beauty of the islands and generosity and
respect for the land that the people have so I can bring it back home with me.
During one of my last trips there, I stayed in a screen house at the base of a
mountain for six weeks. When I was not in the water surfing, I was painting,
sketching, and taking photographs of local flora and landscapes to use as
reference in my work. I had no modern conveniences or anything, just some
books, my art supplies, surfboards, and the wild roosters that would wake me
up every morning. These experiences in and out of the water have been a
major influence on my work. Even though my memories from Hawaii and other
travels might all blend together into one long memory, they keep me inspired
even when there’s snow on the ground and the ocean water is thirty-two
degrees.
Another thing I inherited from my parents, besides the artistic talent, is an
understanding of how fortunate we all are compared to others around the world
and how important it is to respect people, cultures, and the environment. I’ve
been given a gift, while so many others in the world have so little. Whatever
money I make in my life, I’d like to see that some good comes from it. I’m not
doing this for publicity or to try and get others to see the world as I do, I’m just
simply doing what I think is right and I feel everybody accomplishes this in their
own different way. My educational background is in political science,
environmental studies, and sustainability, and I am now trying to do something
in the world that I enjoy in a way that can also benefit other people. For
example, I am a member of 1% For the Planet, an organization in which member
businesses donate at least 1% of their annual sales to environmental
organizations around the world. I recently donated one of my painting designs
to the New Jersey chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. A line of organic cotton
t-shirts has been produced and all proceeds from their sale will benefit
Surfrider. In addition, I recently purchased a vintage 1980 diesel Mercedes that
I plan to convert to run on recycled vegetable oil. The purpose of saying this is
not to toot my own horn; I just feel it is important to give causes like this some
priority so that others who are interested can get involved. Our life here on this
Earth is relatively short. We should do our best with it. As my stained glass
windows and paintings continue to gain recognition around the world, I hope my
contributions to these causes can become more significant. Aloha!

-Frank