Erin Pankratz: Finding joy in the details at the Lakewood Covenant Community Health Centre

A life of making

For Erin Pankratz, art has always been a part of life. “I came out a maker,” she says. Growing up in northern Canada where her mother was a fibre artist, creativity was woven into her everyday experience. From ballet dancing to gardening to creating sculptures and mosaics, Erin’s journey has been anything but linear and deeply rooted in the act of making.

After leaving art school to raise her children, Erin found her way into mosaic, a medium she describes as both craft and fine art. “I got the bug,” she says. “And I quickly fell into the fine art side of mosaic.” In 2011, she committed to her practice professionally, and today she and her husband run Red Knot Studio, creating public art across Edmonton and beyond.

Her work includes large-scale installations like the mural in the U.S departures hallway at Edmonton International Airport and the undulating mosaics on the Davies LRT station ramp.

“I like making public art because it’s for everybody,” Erin says. “Not everyone goes to galleries or can buy art for their home. Public art gives people the chance to see something they might not otherwise experience.”

Portals of colour and calm

Two of Erin’s watercolour pieces, part of her “Portal” series, are now on display at the Lakewood Covenant Community Health Centre. These layered, detailed works are deeply personal, born from a desire to return to her own creative works. “They’re obsessive,” she says. “Super layered and detailed. I just get lost in them.”

The influence of her mother’s weaving, her ballet training and her love of colour all converge in these pieces. “There’s movement, there’s colour, there’s light,” she says. “They’re interesting from afar, but when you get close, there’s a lot to look at.”

For Erin, the process of making these works is meditative, a way to enter a calm, focused state. “It’s a mental health thing for me,” she says. “Just going into a calm place of that repetitive making space.” She hopes viewers feel that same sense of calm and curiosity when they engage with the work.

Art for everyone

Having her work displayed in a health setting is especially meaningful. “People going into a health centre, it could be a good day, or it could be the worst day of their lives,” Erin says. “Maybe if there’s something beautiful and calming there, it can help.”

Erin sees her work as a kind of visual invitation, something that draws people in and gives them a moment of pause. “I call them portals because they look like you could go into them,” she says. “They’re places to stop and pay attention.”

Attention to detail is a hallmark of Erin’s public art practice. From hidden birds to concealed children’s drawings, she often incorporates scavenger hunt elements into her work. “I think people need a break from the world on fire,” she says. “Something hopeful and joyful.”

What’s next

Erin and her studio are currently working on several new public art commissions, including mosaic-covered sculptures in Fort McMurray and a mural for a bouldering wall in St. Albert. These projects are part of her continuing commitment to creating art that is accessible, engaging and full of life.

Whether through mosaic, sculpture or watercolour, Erin’s work invites viewers to slow down, look closer and find joy in the details.