Erika Bakse
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erikabakse.bsky.social
Erika Bakse
@erikabakse.bsky.social
370 followers 280 following 2.1K posts
I like knitting and parrots and data. she/her
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erikabakse.bsky.social
I think part of the problem is I don't really like the Legion Stonehenge paper - it seems to pill very quickly. The arches and hannehmuhle I got seem to be able to take a lot more abuse.

Anyway, here's a sunflower. Did this to test out the paper and an idea. I think I'll paint more sunflowers.
A watercolor painting of a sunflower, it is very flowy and in the wet on wet style mostly.
November 16, 2025 at 9:12 PM
erikabakse.bsky.social
mood
a pink donut box with a broken sticker that was used to seal it closed. the sticker says "donut kill my vibe".
September 27, 2025 at 10:14 PM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Family picture
32oz Stanley cup in purple and teal next to a 16 oz coral Stanley cup
September 1, 2025 at 5:39 PM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Hehe my dress matches my guitar
Selfie of myself holding my new green jazzmaster that happens to be almost the exact same green as the background color on my floral dress.
August 25, 2025 at 12:27 AM
erikabakse.bsky.social
So many ways to demonstrate peak male performance
A Venn diagram of Phillies players broke up into 4 categories - big boy pinup, hot Latino, Disney prince, and hot dirt bag, demonstrating the wide array of types that baseball players can embody. Nick Castellanos is in the center.
August 24, 2025 at 10:11 PM
erikabakse.bsky.social
A guitar followed me home
multiple guitars hanging on a wall, but centered is a fender jazzmaster in English racing green (although it looks almost black in the picture) with a white pick guard and trem arm.
August 23, 2025 at 9:42 PM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Watercolor practice from last night. I know we all know but it's incredible what a difference 100% cotton makes on getting a nice flat wash. Also had fun with my new rigger brush.
A paper with some red squares in watercolor of various sizes and gradients and some loose trees in orange and purple tones.
August 10, 2025 at 4:53 PM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Also this meerkat was peak meerkatting. Serious sentry business.
A meerkat on top of a dirt pillar standing tall and looking about 45 degrees up. Same meerkat now peering towards the camera ensuring that nothing gets past their gaze.
August 1, 2025 at 11:25 PM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Went to the zoo, saw some cool animals, gator decided to show off why they've been around since before the dinos
A close up of the gaping maw of an American Alligator showing off his throat and teeth while he basks in the warm sand. Same Gator with mouth now closed looking incredibly pleased with themself.
August 1, 2025 at 11:25 PM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Another tutorial from esperoart.com, although I sized it down. Need to get better at trusting the paint to mix with wet on wet and stop touching it so much. Loved working with only 3 colors though! Also got a lot of practice scrubbing mistakes 😩
A watercolor painting of a frangipane blossom. It is white with shadows that go from yellow to pink to purple with a blurry green background.
July 28, 2025 at 5:13 AM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Not really motivated to work on it further given the situation. I do like most of the background and the color blending I got. And it was fun to start getting to know my new brushes!

Tutorial from esperoart.com
A watercolor painting of a pink waterlily.
July 19, 2025 at 4:03 AM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Success!
A watercolor painting in progress of a water lily. Only the background has been painted. Next to it is my brand new porcelain palette with a number of greens and blues mixed on it. Some cups of water, a ruler, and various brushes are scattered on the desk.
July 14, 2025 at 2:41 AM
erikabakse.bsky.social
I am happy to announce that I have entered the stage of staring and squinting at this piece for like 24 hours to decide if I'm done.
A stylized color pencil drawing of a spray of orchids against a blurry, mostly dark blue background. The drawing is taped to a clipboard.
July 11, 2025 at 4:27 PM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Friday Night Onion. An artistic collaboration between myself and my 4 year old.
A watercolor painting of an onion. The onion outline is drawn in pink crayon by a child, then filled in with yellowish brownish orange onion color and green leaves sprouting out the top. there is a set of children's watercolors at the top of the picture.
June 7, 2025 at 1:52 AM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Maybe I have misconstrued everything...

Come see Julius Caesar in Berkeley and tell me to my face!
A black and white picture of the back of a woman with short silver hair. A semi circle of people sit at her feet looking...ominous. One woman at the right is playing with a knife. Perhaps she looks familiar? In red text in the center it says "Alas, thou hast misconstrued everything!" At the lower right in red text it says "Berkeley Shakespeare Company Presents Julius Caesar June 13-29 Live Oak Theater Berkeley, CA berkeleyshakes.org .
May 24, 2025 at 12:36 AM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Continuing to preach the good word about local libraries.
A canvas tote bag that says "Libraries are Central. I'm a fan! Berkeley Public Library Foundation."
May 10, 2025 at 12:18 AM
erikabakse.bsky.social
I took a detour into East Bay Nursery on my way back from the library and did just that
A yellow rose in the foreground (Henry Fonda) with several other roses of different colors in the background. Two bright fuschia red roses in some shade.
May 1, 2025 at 2:14 AM
erikabakse.bsky.social
If you like Berkeley Theater, I'd love to put this on your radar for June!

Tickets available at berkeleyshakes.org
A green poster with a cross section of a log and some small, black toy soldiers. The poster is advertising Berkeley Shakespeare Company Presents JULIUS CAESAR June 13-29, 2025 at the Live Oak Theater in Berkeley, CA.
April 28, 2025 at 1:59 AM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Unsurprisingly, not a lot in Berkeley, except for a midwife practice that claims induced labor causes autism!
a screenshot of a web page that says " Have you asked your OB if hospital birth is safe? Hospital interventions are associated with all kinds of risk and adverse outcome. Take for example the latest findings that induced labor increased the risk of autism by a whopping 23%! Cesarean sections increase maternal mortality by six times over vaginal birth. Cesarean sections (2nd most performed surgery in the United States) have also been associated with infection hysterectomy, subsequent complications of pregnancy, infertility. and still birth. "
April 26, 2025 at 10:28 PM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Also goofing around earlier and I like this idea. It's interesting how much more texture is in the 25% cotton paper, too.
More watercolor paintings of flowers that might look like poppies and coneflower and some big pink flower with a very abstract bee on it.
April 20, 2025 at 9:32 PM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Playing with paint again. Save the bees.
A very loose slightly abstract watercolor painting of a bee on a flower with lots of purple in the background.
April 20, 2025 at 9:29 PM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Thank you @bikeeastbay.bsky.social for the cool stickers and materials to bedazzle our helmets!
a pink child's helmet covered in stickers and rhinestones and pipe cleaners. same helmet from the front where you can see googly eyes attached to pipe cleaners.
April 20, 2025 at 12:14 AM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Did a mini painting of the tulipbush flower I did mixed media with a few months back to keep practicing layering and blending and now backgrounds.
a watercolor painting of a tulipbush flower.
April 15, 2025 at 7:33 PM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Friday night paint time! A tulip I've drawn before, but this time in watercolor.
A tulip painted in watercolour in a salmon pink.
April 12, 2025 at 5:54 AM
erikabakse.bsky.social
Steady progress on the main work.
A colored pencil work in progress of a spray of orchids against a dark blue background. It is about half done.
April 10, 2025 at 6:52 AM