Art Chowder January | February, Issue 25 | Page 11

Art Chowder: Welcome to Art
Chowder, Erik. Please tell us a little
bit about where you grew up and
how you came to be in the Pacific
Northwest. 
Erik:  I grew up on Bainbridge Island,
Washington.  My dad moved here
to start a salmon farming operation
(aquaculture) when I was two weeks
old, in 1965.  
Art Chowder: What pulled you into
the world of art? 
Erik:  I had taken quite a few high
school classes in wood and metal
working, but it was really walking on
the beaches of Puget Sound; I would
see this amazing driftwood and think,
“Hey, I could make a chair or a bench
out of that.”  So I collected a lot of wood
and eventually I had to make something!  
Art Chowder: When did you decide to
sell your art?
Erik: I had a lot of driftwood stored up
so I made a table as a wedding gift, then
another one. About that time someone
asked me to make them a piece, so I just
sort of fell into that.
Art Chowder: You are living with
rheumatoid arthritis. How do you
keep moving forward with such
alacrity?
Erik:  Having RA focused me on art
because it was something I could do on
my own time and when I felt physically
able to.  Now that I have regained much
of my physical vitality, I have realized
that the key to longevity is movement,
so I try to keep moving!  
Over the years my health has built up to
the point where I have been able to get
back into the high country — climbing,
skiing and mountain biking.  Even
though I have hardware (titanium and
plastic knee replacements; screws) and
other physical issues, I have managed
to regain a pretty spectacular level of
health.
January | February 2020
11