RIDGEFIELD, CT.- Kate Eric is a decade-old collaborative identity comprised of Kate Tedman and Eric Siemens, who methodically take turns as they capture interactions in layers of paint on large scale canvases.

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum mounted the artists’ first museum exhibition on view through December 31, 2011. The small survey spans their early work, where the human figure was somewhat present, to the latest, which is quite devoid of human life.

The married couple alternate between homes in Italy and San Francisco, observing the interactions that take place around them. Kate Eric explains, “We enjoy looking at exchanges of any sort, whether it be carbon and hydrogen, a new idea and a preconceived notion, or a cartoon elephant and a mouse. It is the commonality in these interactions that fascinates us. Simply put, we take turns. The painting builds up layers as we go along. There are often fifty or so cycles involved in a larger piece. We depend heavily on mistakes that happen during the process to spark further exploration. Art without accident is evolution without mutation.”

Aldrich curator Mónica Ramírez-Montagut adds, “Through their joint work, the artists create surreal scenes that transcend our human scale. Either minuscule molecular-like interactions or—seemingly quite the opposite—the dynamics of the cosmos and the universe, are formally expressed by the juxtaposition of different punctilious organic structures, clashing floating veils, and proto-animal parts in watery and almost antigravitational environments.”

Artists: Kate Eric is the collaborative identity of Kate Tedman and Eric Siemens; Tedman is from Oxford, England, and Siemens from Oregon. Since the two began creating art together in Barcelona in 2000, they have exhibited their work in London, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Hong Kong, and Dubai. Kate Eric is represented by Frey Norris Contemporary & Modern, San Francisco