Erin Eckman's layered work to line the walls of Greenway Studio

Erin Eckman spent her younger years wandering the halls of the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

Her first crush was on American artist John Singer Sargent.

Today her sketchbook is filled with visual and conceptual ideas that soon become part of her abstract acrylic paintings.

Eckman is a self-taught artist who has taken her love of expression and emotion and turned them into visual representations.

"Creating art is a profound reminder of how essential curiosity, trial and error, and exploration are in life. When I share my artwork, I get to establish a direct and immediate dialogue with others and share ideas without so many of the typical restraints that dictate human interactions," she said.

Eckman's stream-of-consciousness paintings have been influenced by her life experiences. She ranges her materials from textured underlays, gritty material, bright and bold colors to feathery, pastel wet washes.

She has combined her love of drawing and painting into mixed-media creations that are sensual and stunning.

Eckman trusts her intuition when she arrives at the canvas.

Meet the artist at the opening reception for her solo show, "Soft As Nails," at Greenway Studio in West Ashley.

Her work has been shown at Vickery's downtown, Urban Outfitters, 52.5 Records, Blind Tiger, The Meeting Place, The Mill, Jimbo's Rock Lounge and Greenway Studio.