Rachel Levin is a popular art lecturer who often lectures at the Bernard Betel Centre for our weekly Tuesday Lifelong Learning Lectures. In her series of ‘Unconventional Materials’ she introduces artists from all over the world using unconventional materials to create their art.
Artist Erik Jensen Turns Used Keyboards into Famous Works of Art (Part III)
Erik Jensen, a Utah native, has always embraced art. He was born deaf and considers art to be his first language.
Erik studied art in college and taught high school art classes for a couple years. In 2017 he turned the usage of computer key art into a business. While Erik attended Utah Valley University, his art professor challenged the students to create something people throw away and turn it into something people do want.
Using keys from an old computer keyboard he had lying around, Erik made a face coming out of a computer screen. This intrigued him to do more with computer keys.
Erik started out using only the natural color keycaps. Over the next couple years he worked to develop a successful dyeing recipe.
Erik started out recreating images, embracing the pixel concept we are all familiar with in this technological world. Since then, Erik has pivoted to recreating landscapes, other pixel images and abstracts.
Each key has its own personality expressed by shape, color, depth, etc. Placing these keys together creates a pixelated picture. Since Erik started to use computer keys for art, he has participated in various conferences, shows and festivals and won several awards throughout his art career.
Erik’s studio is based in Salt Lake City, Utah where he lives with his wife and three children. Today his art is exhibited in galleries all over the world.
Looking forward to the future, Erik hopes to continue creating recycled art, building strong relationships with clients, and creating impactful installations.
When he is not creating, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, gardening, cooking and watching television.
