Born in 1993, Calgary, Alberta.
Lives and works in Ellensburg, WA.
Education
2013-2015 | Associate of Arts and Sciences (AAS), Graphic Design
Seattle Central Creative Academy | Seattle, WA
2011-2013 | Associate of Arts (AA), Graphic Design
School of Prophetic Arts | Kirkland, WA
Exhibition Record
RESIDENCIES
2023-Present | Resident artist and owner at Nuwave Gallery | Ellensburg WA
Participating artist and curator: Wild Harmoney (3mo), Present to Presence (3mo), Paper Trails (2mo), An Ode to the Ocean (2mo), Dutch Revival (2mo), Lunation (2mo), Winged Wonders (2mo), Best of Black and White (2mo), Wilderness (2mo), Modern Americana (2mo), The Wide West (2mo), The Great Disconnect (1mo)
2022-Present | Resident artist at Whipsaw Brewing | Ellensburg WA
2022-Present | Resident artist Swiftwater Cellars | Suncadia WA
2022-23 | Resident artist at Holly Rose in Portland OR
2019-Present | Resident Artist at Venue| Ballard WA
SHOWCASES
2024 | 3 month showcase at Dru Bru, Cle Elum
2023 | 2 month showcase at Proto101 in Seattle & Bellevue WA
2023 | 3 month showcase at Dru Bru in Cle Elum WA
2023 | Art booth the Alki Art Fair in Seattle WA
2023 | 3 month showcase titled Cascadian Reflections at Slip Gallery in Seattle, WA
2023 | 1 month showcase at Lone Line Coffee Roasters in Bend OR
2023 | Pop up artist at Ellensburg Night Markets in Ellensburg WA
2022 | Pop up artist at Ellensburg Night Markets in Ellensburg WA
2022 | 1 month showcase at Lighthouse Roasters in Fremont WA
2022 | 2 month showcase at Dru Bru in Snoqualmie Pass WA
2022 | Microsoft Event Live Painting Event in Redmond WA
2021 | 2 month showcase at Pacific Crest Creatives in Cle Elum WA
2021 | 2 month showcase at Basecamp Books in Roslyn WA
2020 | 3 month showcase at Gallery Axis, Pioneer Square in Seattle WA
2019 | 1 month showcase at Seattle Cider Co in Fremont, WA
2019 | 1 month showcase at Zocalo in Seattle WA
2018 | 3 month showcase at The Riveter in Bellevue WA
2018 | 2 month showcase at Cherry Street Public House | Seattle WA
2018 | Art booth the Alki Art Fair in Seattle WA
2018 | 1 month showcase at Caffe Senso Unico | Seattle WA
2017 | Soul Societies art show at the Columbia Tower Club | Seattle WA
Founder
2022- Nuwave Gallery, Ellensburg WA
2018- Soul Societies Nonprofit, Seattle WA
Selected Publications and Media
“Meet Erin Oostra” Canvas Rebel July 2023
“New Waves Spreading Downtown” CWU Observer
January 2023
“Cascadia 2050 Vision Conference Brings Together International Leaders” Cascadia Daily News
September 2022
“Murals Transform Seattle’s Boarded Up Businesses: ‘Hope Is Not Cancelled” KUOW May 2020
Selected Public Collections
“Find Your Path” Downtown Ellensburg, WA 2025
“Kestrel Sighting” Nuwave Gallery, Ellensburg WA 2024
“Stuart” Nuwave Gallery, Ellensburg WA 2023
“Pipes” Nuwave Gallery, Ellensburg WA 2023
“Rainier” Pioneer Square, Seattle 2020
Professional Services
Senior Interior Design Consultant
Expert visual and brand designer
Live painting event entertainment
Biography
Erin Oostra is a contemporary painter and designer best known for her impressionistic paintings inspired by the mountains, valleys, and oceans of Washington State.
She embraces a multi-disciplinary approach to creation, melding her strategic experience as a product designer with her love for bold, abstracted painting. With strong, fluid strokes, her latest works capture her awe and respect for the dangerous beauty of nature.
Erin’s work has been featured all across the Pacific Northwest. She continues to expand her reach as she owns and operates Nuwave Gallery in Ellensburg, WA.
Artist Statement
If you live in the Pacific Northwest you’ve probably experienced the sheer beauty of its mountains, rivers, forests, and the Pacific ocean. Since time immemorial, nature has been inspiring artists with its powerful and complex beauty. Erin Oostra is one of those artists today. With a penchant for all things outdoors, from hiking to camping, Erin’s bold and abstract impressions of PNW landscapes insist there are always other ways of interpreting what’s right in front of us.
This series is inspired by the grandeur of the mountains that make up the Pacific Northwest. Through heavy textures and neutral color palettes, Erin Oostra captures her awe and respect for the dangerous beauty of nature with these jagged yet refined artworks.
Erin's use of black, white, and neutrals capture the familiar feeling of overcast days in Washington State. Her distinct brushstrokes give texture and energy to the contemporary landscape, while the different reflections of light accentuate the passage of time that even nature experiences.
Available Works
Additional Inquiries
Reach out here to find out where Erin is showing next and if there are any additional artworks available before they’re listed online.