Oct 12

Oct 12 CALIFORNIA by Erin Schalk

Erin Schalk

Crossing coast-to-coast in my classic convertible, I’m

Always seeking the painted sunsets, my

Love is for when the sky meets the sea.

I never lived near the water until the Sunshine State.

Forward, rubber tires speed along the infinite highways,

Outlining the white froth spilling from ocean waves, a

Race to the horizon,

Never reaching the end, my

Imagination, illuminated with California’s natural beauty,

Always, almost ... my personal paradise.

Erin Schalk

Erin Schalk is a visual artist, writer, and educator who lives in the greater Los Angeles area. She graduated with her MFA in Studio from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2017, and she has exhibited her art throughout the United States, as well as in the United Kingdom and Japan. As of 2021, she was named The Muckenthaler Cultural Center’s Artist in Residence -- the third artist to receive this honor.

Both her poetry and visual art have been published in a variety of journals; highlights include The MacGuffin, The Woven Tale Press, Parentheses International Literary Journal, Willawaw Journal, and others. Today, Schalk also is a guest poetry and visual art reviewer and interviewer for Aji Magazine.

In 2011, Schalk’s career as an educator began overseas in Okinawa, Japan where she taught visual art and English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Since 2016, she has focused on teaching adults in non-profit and higher education settings, including accessibility-driven programs, art museums, and gallery spaces for individuals with visual impairments, as well as on the autism spectrum.

Schalk also holds a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Oklahoma, a BA in East Asian Studies from the University of Maryland Asia, and a Master of Arts in Art from the University of Dallas.

She is the founder of Bridging Art (www.bridgingart.com) where she provides mentorship programs and workshops to emerging visual artists and writers of diverse ages and backgrounds, living across the globe. In addition, Schalk’s professional artist website may be accessed at www.erinschalk.com.