Siena Heights University
Erin earned her undergraduate degree with a concentration in drawing and painting.
Friends of the Lakes Club Artist
Erin Frye
Artist · Educator · Great Lakes Bay Region Advocate
Work shaped by Michigan’s Thumb, the colors of the lakes, the textures of the shore, and nearly thirty years of helping others discover their own creative voice.
Explore the work ↓
Michigan’s Thumb · Great Lakes Bay Region
01
A Tug
Toward Home
Erin Frye is an artist, educator, and advocate for the Great Lakes Bay Region.
Born and raised in Michigan’s Thumb, she feels a constant tug toward home in her artwork—whether it appears in an abstract painting with hues pulled from the waves and sand of the shoreline, or in the familiar shape of the state itself.
She enjoys working in acrylic, graphite, and mixed media. Her focus changes over time, moving from specific color stories in abstract work, to gathered parts and pieces that blend together to tell a story, to detailed pencil work defining a wrinkle of skin or the twinkle in a subject’s eye.
Erin also works beyond the studio in theatrical set design and has explored real-time sculpture through snow and sand.
After nearly thirty years as a visual arts educator, she recognizes that changes may be on the horizon in her career—but learning will always remain part of the day.
“Art gives me a purpose and a reason to continue—and if that can inspire others to decorate their own little part of the world, so be it.”
02
Color pulled from water and shore
Michigan is always somewhere in the work.
Erin’s practice shifts across abstraction, portraiture, mixed media, and installation, but the colors, forms, and emotional pull of home remain a steady current.
03
Practice & Path
A creative life built through education, experimentation, community, and an openness to whatever comes next.
Nearly 30 Years of Arts Education
She has spent the better part of three decades teaching visual arts to K–12 students while continuing to explore new creative avenues.
Bay City Players
Erin works in theatrical set design and serves as vice president on the Bay City Players Board of Directors.
New Doors Ahead
As she considers retirement from public school teaching, Erin looks forward to discovering where her next inspiration will lead.
04
Inspired by the Tip of the Thumb.
Erin grew up in a small Michigan town surrounded by the elements that continue to shape her work: water, sand, changing skies, familiar landscapes, and the unmistakable outline of home.
05
Selected Work
A selection of Erin’s abstract, graphite, mixed-media, and Michigan-inspired work.
