Erin Eitter Kono (b. 1973, Oshkosh, WI) is a self-taught painter based in both Los Angeles, CA, and Dubuque, IA. Descended from frontier settlers and raised in Iowa’s Driftless Region, Kono uses the ancient technique of egg tempera to investigate how memory, land, and culture intersect. Her work explores the layered histories of American mythology, particularly the cultural legacies of Manifest Destiny and westward expansion. Working with materials such as silverpoint and natural pigments sourced from historically significant sites, Kono’s paintings invite viewers to look beneath familiar narratives and consider the quieter truths embedded in place.
Kono studied art history at the University of Iowa and the University of Hull (UK), and trained in traditional egg tempera under artist Koo Schadler. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including solo exhibitions at the Dubuque Museum of Art, La Luz de Jesus (Los Angeles), and Gallery 825 (Los Angeles), with an upcoming solo show curated by The Wassaic Project at Troutbeck (Amenia, NY). She has participated in group exhibitions at venues such as Future Fair (NYC), Bergdorf Goodman (NYC), FORMah (NYC -now Kaliner), and Beinart Gallery (Melbourne, Australia). Her paintings have been featured in Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, American Art Collector, Juxtapoz, and Arts to Hearts Magazine.
Prior to focusing on fine art, Kono was an award-winning author and illustrator with over a dozen children’s books published by major trade houses. Her illustration work is held in the collection of the Mazza Museum (Findlay, OH).
Statement
My work explores the overlap between real and imagined histories, focusing on how ancient traditions continue to resonate within contemporary culture. I’m particularly interested in the connections between different cultures and time periods—especially the historical tensions and exchanges between East and West, and how the legacies of early modernity still shape American identity today.
Materials are central to my practice. I often paint on wood icon panels sourced from Bulgaria, cut from the same forests that once supplied Renaissance artists in Italy. The painting’s base layer is rendered in silver, a precious metal that represents not only sacred traditions but also the foundations of global capitalism and colonial economies.
I paint using egg tempera, an ancient technique made by mixing egg yolk with mineral pigments. These pigments come from places tied to specific historical narratives, such as Mount Vesuvius and the ruins of 19th-century factories. Egg tempera is historically linked to the transition from the medieval to the Renaissance period—a moment of rapid technological and cultural change that echoes our own.
Drawing imagery from both art history and personal experience, I use each piece to explore how place, culture, and storytelling intersect across time.