November 12, 2020

Where The Artist Steeps - Silverlake With Eric Junker

Eric recalls the early days when a large ad agency brought him in to assist on art direction. It wasn’t long before he received a tap on the shoulder from a horrified associate staring down the office hallway – a hallway decked with glistening footprints. His footprints. The paint was aquamarine. Eric doesn’t recall being asked back.

Since then, Eric Junker has made a habit of tracking paint everywhere the wind blows. His murals, around 50, can be encountered from Baja to Marfa. At home in Silverlake, every article of clothing is flecked in bold colors. His guiding mantra – All Eye Want Is More Beautiful – is equally bold. He credits longtime collaborator and owner of nearby Silverlake Wine with coining what he calls a revolutionary demand for a better world

There’s no escaping that call-to-action when confronted by his art and its oversized natural forms.

Encountered on walls throughout his hometown of Los Angeles, Eric paints big and loud to override the noise of the urban environment, and remind folks that real subtlety is found in the quiet and solitude of the outdoors.

There’s routine in the abstract, and good tea too. He throws a kettle on at 5:30am; by 8am he’s on his second cup. He met tea through his South African wife Georgia, and likens a cup of Steep Echo’s Ascent to an occasion in nature. Everything cool that’s happening out there is revealed when you strip things down to the elements.