A quick little video from a drawing exercise I do with my sketchbook students on drawing emotions

I never thought I could find less effective politicians than Governor Kate Brown and Mayor Ted Wheeler but then we ended up with Governor Tina Kotek and Mayor Keith Wilson. What is it with Oregon that attracts such bland, visionless politicians? And why do they run for reelection?!?!

A new collection of friends, some made of paper and some of clay but all of them would like to have a home with you. www.erikarier.com

I just have 2 spots left in this class that I promise will be as fun as it is educational. If you’re in Portland, OR check it out! www.erikarier.com/shop/little-...

My two new books are now on my site. Two different sides of the coin that is my brain. One, If She Was Beholden Could She Ever Be The Beholder?, is a primal scream against misogyny. The other, True Facts About Butts, is ladies explaining how to not be a tight ass www.erikarier.com?category=Art...

Art dudes get to have so much fun, meanwhile, everyday is Monday for me while I work 12 hour days. So a reminder: FEMININE STORIES ARE IMPORTANT AND HOLD UNIVERSAL MEANING, even if you’re dudely.

Why am I awake at 1am eating hypoallergenic pretzels, I HAVE TO WORK TOMORROW 🥨

I’m from the east coast originally and whenever someone asks me how I like living in Portland, OR I’m always kind of like, it’s ok🤷‍♀️ then I leave Portland and I realize how good I have it in the PNW. People are chill to be themselves and to let me be myself,

I’m calling today’s look for the art book fair: aging Penelope Bridgerton

And while I’m on my hot take bender, California wine is not as good as Oregon wine. Fight me.

And while I’m on my bender of negativity, I’m tired of how gimmicky, pop-culture referencing mediocre art is lapped up, while art and stories with layered meaning, nuance, and genuine emotion is ignored. We as a culture are eating aesthetic candy and not ingesting art that feeds us.

Another recent takeaway regarding men at events I vend at. When women find something they are interested in, their dudes don’t engage with it they just act impatient until the woman they are with leaves with them. If you’re w/a lady & she is enjoying something maybe pick it up & engage in it w/her.

Reminder that this weekend you have two places you can check out my books!!!!

People really like things they recognize, being unique is sadly often not very beneficial.

In Portland, we have a daily migration of endless crows on their way to downtown. In Pasadena, I’ve discovered on my trip, they have screaming parrots. secretlosangeles.com/the-truth-be...

What is sleep and how do I even do it?

Just watched The Menu again and I’m left with the fact that EoE has stolen cheeseburgers from me.

I just stayed up late exercising to try and break a record on my rings AND THEN MIDNIGHT HAPPENED. I’M NOT EVEN AN EXERCISE KIND OF GUY. Time is an illusion, why does my watch not know this?!?!!

Has it been an insanely busy day? Have I been setting up my booth at a 4 day event? Am I devastatingly exhausted? Yes, yes, yes. But also, I made this drawing in my sketchbook.

Dudes, if you’re at a book event and you see something that looks “girly”, go look at it you might find your horizons expanded.

LOOK AT HOW RELAXED I AM WHILE I WAIT FOR LA ART BOOK FAIR TO START.

I’m releasing my newest handmade comic tonight at LA Art Fair. Here’s a little peek inside.

Friends, if any of you have magic powers could you like do something so things just get a little easier? Why is every single little thing going wrong?

Double header weekend, friends. 2 Art book fairs and 2 NEW BOOKS!!! I’ll LA Art Book Fair and my partner in crime, Joel, will be slinging the books he helped me to cut and assemble, at Seattle Art Book Fair.

I find it interesting accounts that love to complain about the Met gala (not Derek, his thread is amazing) also post about sports they love. Professional sports teams sap money from taxpayers for stadiums while players & owners make $ But heaven forbid rich ladies get dressed up to support a museum

Anyone in LA want tickets for LA Art Book Fest next week, send me a message because I have a few comp tickets that I don’t want to go to waste.

We could create any world we want to but for some reason this is what we have. On the one hand we have people with extreme wealth and no vision who seem determined to create a dystopia where they are in charge. On the other hand, we have millions of of everyday people who are greedy and impatient…

I think I’d like it if hordes of teenagers hung around to relentlessly mock billionaires and politicians every time they tried to leave their home. My daughter is 22 now and even her withering look, or even the thought of it, keeps me from doing a lot of stupid shit.

Ok, so I don’t watch a lot of movies. For instance, I’ve never seen the Princess Bride even though I was born in 1977. But I just watched Sinners finally, and that was a fucking good movie.

Ok, because of my printer emergency before my double header art book fair next weekend, I’m having a 20% off flash sale in my shop. Use code: PRINTERSOS THROUGH 5/5 11:59pm www.erikarier.com

Gotta love it when my printer that’s not even a year old bites the dust unexpectedly when I still have dozens of books to make for @seattleartbookfair.bsky.social 😭😭😭

All my boxes of all my books are officially en route to LA Art Book Fair, please pray for my babies😭😬😭😬

TriMet is really letting me down with their new app. Since they released their new transit app the transit tracker has not been working for me which makes it much harder to take the bus and their supports response to this issue was: 🤷‍♀️

Every time one of these pathetic republicans bends over backwards to praise Trump like he’s the freaking messiah, it screams, like, really big loser energy to me.

I have a handful of spring classes left in my Portland, OR studio, then I’ll be taking a break over the summer and won’t be teaching on the weekends in my fall session. Sooooo, sign-up for a class while you still can. Come make art with me and meet new people. www.erikarier.com?category=Cla...

The fact that it came out that so many Supreme Court justices were being wined and dined as well as just blatantly bought by moneyed interests and no one did a single thing about it will never cease to blow my freaking mind.

Another grant rejection letter has left me feeling:

When folks take a class with me I have three classroom agreements: •be open to the process, making art can be scary •be kind to yourself, don’t disparage your art •be kind with your face, because people can make some seriously bitchy looks at each other

Really feeling the pressure and anxiety of preparing for two art book fairs in one weekend 😬

One of my favorite orders to get from my online shop is a selection of handmade books ordered by a university library. Feels so exciting to know my books will be there for students to discover!

Another cyclist in Portland hit by a driver running a red light & the driver is not given a ticket & no report filed. How are we pissing away such a huge portion of our city budget to such an incompetent, clown show as the PPB. If we were actually a bike friendly city we’d be ticketing these drivers

Just so everyone knows the kind of person I am, I have a pop-up comic that I hand-cut and assemble every copy of. I’m like, extra extra ✨

Just finished up another 4 week class in my studio and it’s really just such a special way to teach out of my own space. I feel very grateful that it’s working at all to have this resonate with folks. I start a new 4 week sketchbook for potters class on Tuesday: www.erikarier.com/shop/sketch-...

I love making these funny, flat vessel ceramic ladies. www.erikarier.com/shop/snake-p...

Hey Portland, Oregon, just an idea, can we maybe stop giving the PPB most of our city budget to cruise the streets & fly a plane in circles rather than adding a $12 per month charge to our water bills? & state government, maybe pass a transportation bill rather than funding renovating a stadium. Jfc

I think a thing that baffles me as far as the current administration is concerned is: the quality of lies is so bad & so dumb that I don’t understand how his supporters don’t feel the level of contempt this administration holds for them, they think their supporters are idiots & don’t hide it

Been trying to actually rest in the evenings when I’m not teaching. Mostly I’ve been reading and doodling in my sketchbook. 2 things that are so important to my art practice that I never set aside enough time for. This drawing really tells you how relaxed I am.

On my feet handbuilding lamps, monsters, and little shot glasses from 9:30am-6pm and boy am I exhausted. Being a ceramicist is very tiring it turns out.

Some new ceramic kids on the block www.erikarier.com?category=Cer...

I’m really loving how the better I take care of myself with things like regular exercise, the worse I feel. Chronic illness is, like, so fun.