ERICA MORICONI
Erica is an animator and illustrator based in Boston. Her work draws from mythology, memory, and dreams to create personal, transportive experiences. Balancing between playfulness and uncertainty, she seeks to bring the unexpressed to the surface without over-explanation. When she is not animating, she loves filling sketchbooks and finding fruit on the sidewalk.
Instagram: @ericamoriconi
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ARTIST Q&A
Born: Baltimore, MD
Currently lives: Brighton, MA
Title of artwork: “Hollow”
What’s it about? I used to walk past the Braintree St. studios in Allston each morning on my way to work. The angle of the sunrise that time of day turned everything a blinding orange. It passed through the neighborhood like a beam. I love how light and shadow can distort around structures, transparency, and materials. For me, paintings like this are about observing something ordinary and making it the special part of my morning. I especially wanted to share this piece at a time when we need advocacy for community arts spaces across the city.
Where else can we find your work? Local film fests and community screenings! Shoutout to Weird Local Film Festival in Somerville, Boston Open Screen at the Coolidge, & GRRL Haus Cinema at the Brattle.
Where is your favorite public art piece in the area? I love the artist-painted electric boxes all over the city. (RIP Pizza Squirrel in Brighton, I will never forget you!!)
Who is your favorite Boston-area artist to follow? Jeanyn Caro! ig: @jeanyndraws
What’s your favorite way to spend a day off? Enjoying a nice coffee and cooking a meal with friends
What was your top song for 2022? C’est que du bonheur – Stromae
Favorite food spot in in Allston, Brighton or the surrounding area?Rhythm n’ Wraps
What have you learned about your creative practice in recent years? I’ve been working through some pretty extreme burnout and I am still learning what it means to be patient about working through that, and be sustainable about my artmaking. There is no substitution for giving yourself time to let your brain unthaw. There is no substitution for the time it takes to work through the exploratory, mistake-making, messy phase until the ideas coalesce into something real.
What is a piece of advice you would give to your past self as a young artist? Be comfortable saying “no” to protect your time for the projects you really want to work on. Also, please please do carpal tunnel stretches…
What is your dream project to work on?Honestly, just dreaming of making more animated films always. I’ll forever be striving for a piece that feels the most honest and encapsulates how my brain works, and in that way I will always be trying to make the same film over and over. I look forward to that ongoing journey.
