Erika Kauffman was born in Chicago and grew up in the surrounding suburbs. Despite being the daughter of two professional musicians, it became clear at an early age that she had absolutely no musical talent of her own. Her maternal grandfather had taken up drawing and painting upon his retirement and Erika was fascinated watching him work on a watercolor piece so she asked him to teach her to draw. He obliged and art became her favorite subject (and pastime) throughout grade school and high school. After graduation she attended Ray College of Design. Although fine art was of greater interest, graphic design became her major as it seemed a more viable way to make a living at the time.
Not cut out for the corporate life, Erika decided to hang out her own shingle. She was a successful freelance graphic and web designer for over 20 years. Eventually, stepping away from the keyboard, she returned to her first love: fine art. Primarily self-taught, she spent a few years oil painting but has since shifted to colored pencil. Combining a new favorite medium with a passion for realism and a love of dogs led to a focus on pet portraits. Most of her work is commission based but she has a big soft spot for shelter dogs (and cats). After photographing over 40 dogs at HALO Animal Rescue, she chose 12 for portraits, and that collection was used to produce a fundraising calendar in 2022.
Erika was accepted into the International Guild of Realism in 2017. Her work has been included in many of their juried exhibitions in galleries and online. She is also a member of the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA). Calling Arizona home for the last 35 years, she and her husband currently live in Phoenix with their three dogs and a cat (all rescues, of course).
