Erin Griffin gets lost in her art

Erin Griffin paints in a bedroom in her Millwood home. The brick house, built in 1930, is as traditional as her work. Her watercolor paintings are bold and dreamy, reminiscent of a slower-paced existence.

Landscapes, rustic scenes, antiquities and portraits of people as well as animals are her genre. Though realistic, her work is painterly, not photographic, hence the subtle dreamy quality.

“I don’t want my work to be mistaken for a photograph,” Griffin said, “but I want it to be accurate and realistic.”

Griffin, 37, moved from Deer Park to the Valley four years ago with her husband, George, and their children Jacob, 8, and Justine, 10, in order to be closer to their Valley business, Griffin Publishing. It was not too long after the move that Griffin began to paint regularly.

“I get lost in it, and stress disappears,” she said. Stress was one of the reasons she got back into art. It helped relieve the tension of having a business, moving into a new home, and parenting.

She drew as a child and began painting in high school, inspired by her creative mother, aunt and grandmother.

After graduation, she married her childhood sweetheart and they worked in the printing industry with George’s father until they opened their own business. During that time, Griffin kept developing her artwork. “I wasn’t showing or selling. Instead, I was learning and refining my skills.”

George Griffin appreciates his wife’s talent. “She is constantly pushing herself to improve her abilities as an artist.”

Mostly self-taught, Griffin has taken watercolor classes at Spokane Art School and at Spokane Art Supply Too in the Valley.

Her pieces adorn the walls of their home and business. Each piece draws a viewer in with depth and serenity.

Griffin often takes long drives to find her subjects. An old truck she saw on Trent Avenue found a home in a natural setting. Titled “Old Blue,” the painting shows the vintage blue truck seemingly at one with the rich green surroundings, as if it had finally found its way home. Even the portraits she has done of her children contain what a photograph cannot – a curious thoughtfulness beneath the surface.

Since moving to the Valley, Griffin has shown her paintings at Valleyfest and Global Credit Union. Currently her work can be seen at the Pacific Flyway Gallery downtown and at CenterPlace at Mirabeau Point where it will remain until after the new year.

Art is a staple in Griffin’s life. Even her children reap the benefits. In her art studio, a painting table is set up for them to express themselves at their leisure. Justine likes taking lessons from her mother. “I get better each time,” she said.

In their home, art serves as a time of reflection and a chance to escape a hurried society. A computer screen doesn’t light up Jacob’s room but a painting of a lake does. “When I look at it,” he said, “I can pretend I’m fishing.”