Street Style: Meet Jeff Erickson
Jeff Erickson isn't entirely sure what a painting will become when he starts it.
He spreads color across the canvas, builds up layers, then scrapes them away to expose vibrant reds and yellows that once disappeared beneath muted blues. The process isn't about control; it's about discovery.
That uncertainty is something he's learned to embrace. After all, Jeff's own life has unfolded much the same way — through unexpected turns, new horizons, and opportunities that revealed themselves after he was willing to follow them.
Jeff was born in New Jersey, but home was never a single place. His father's career took the family around the world — from the rocky shores of Maine to the Philippines, Pakistan, and Cameroon. His childhood consisted of Boy Scout trips through the Himalayas, picking perfectly ripe tropical fruit in his backyard in Manila, and traveling to some of the world's most remarkable places.
"It wasn't one place that shaped me," he says. "It was all of them."
Jeff Erickson
Shoot Location: Erickson & Ripper Framing Gallery
Photography: Renée C. Gage
After returning to the United States for high school Jeff went to Lake Braddock Secondary School and then Blair Academy in New Jersey, where he graduated high school. Jeff headed to Georgia Tech to study architecture, and then transferred to George Mason University to study communications. During college, he picked up a job at a frame shop to help make ends meet.
In 1992, that job came back into the picture in an unexpected way. Jeff was at a Super Bowl party when a friend looked at him and Don Ripper, Jeff’s bandmate and friend since high school and said, "You both do this framing kind of stuff, why don't you start a business?"
The idea landed. "We were like Bill Gates, thinking we were about to build this massive framing empire," Jeff says with a laugh. The next morning, he still believed in the idea and called Don. "I know we were both kind of tipsy, but do you still want to give that a go?" Don's answer: "Yeah, why not?"
The following year, they launched Erickson & Ripper Framing Gallery.
What began in a basement workspace in Old Town steadily grew into one of Alexandria's most respected framing businesses.
"What I loved was getting exposed to so many different styles of artwork," Jeff says.
Day after day, he saw frames transform pieces — noting how color, matting, and texture could alter the way art is experienced. Over time, what stood out most wasn’t just the work — it was the people who brought it in.
After more than three decades, Jeff has seen customers come in with pieces for their first apartment, return years later with wedding photos, and again a few years after that with artwork of (or made by) their children.
"You get to be along for the ride," Jeff says. "They're more than clients. They're friends. You see people grow."
For years, Jeff experimented in the margins of his work, decorating mat boards and frame edges for clients. Eventually, Don encouraged him to move beyond the edges and try painting on canvas. Jeff did.
With no formal training, he taught himself to paint through experimentation, often using unconventional tools, like a drywall knife. He was drawn to texture, layering, and the unpredictability of the process.
"It opened up a whole side of myself that I didn't even know existed," he says.
Today, Jeff works primarily in oil and cold wax medium, building up layers only to scrape them back to unveil thoughtful and impactful colors that completely transform the piece.
He compares the finished paintings to a jawbreaker. "When you crack it open, there are all these colorful layers underneath."
While art was never the plan, much like his paintings, the layers that led Jeff to this point were always there.
He speaks fondly of his grandmother, a painter herself, and remembers spending summers in Cape May. “When we visited, she didn't have a guest room, so the second bedroom was her studio.” Jeff says. “She'd move the easel aside, set up a cot, and I would sleep surrounded by the smell of oil paint.”
At the time, those moments didn't seem particularly significant but looking back, they feel like an early introduction to a world he would eventually come to embrace.
In many ways, Jeff Erickson is a lot like his work – spend a little time with him, and you'll discover there's always another layer beneath the surface, each one adding depth to a life beautifully framed by the people, places, and experiences that shaped it.
ABOUT JEFF
Your neighborhood: Old Town Alexandria
Your hometown: Many places, Bath, Maine, Manila, Philippines, Islamabad, Pakistan, Burke, Virginia
What would surprise people about you? Probably that I am a self taught artist.
Favorite book or movie: Favorite movie- Princess Bride
Guilty pleasure: Haribo Gummi Bears
Latest binge-watch: Poldark
Bucket list travel destination: Ireland
What would your walkout song be? Three Little Birds - Bob Marley
Favorite motto/quote: Peace and love
STYLE
Define your style in three words or less: Laid back casual
The go-to piece in your wardrobe: Pair of shorts
Product you can’t live without: Guitar
Boots, dress shoes or sneakers? Vans sneakers all the time
WELLNESS
Go-to way to de-stress: Work on artwork
Favorite way to stay active: Walking and hiking
Wellness goal: Eat more fruits and vegetables
Want to try: Surfing
Proudest wellness achievement: I was in the best shape of my life while rock climbing, need to get back into it
HOME
Favorite room in your home: Kitchen
Antiques, modern, or a mix? Definitely modern
Last item you bought for your home: Love Sac sectional
Favorite way to entertain: Listen to Mt. Joy on Spotify and open a bottle of pinto noir
Clutter-free or well-lived in? Strive for clutter free while living in well-lived in
Next planned purchase: A frame Cabin
ALEXANDRIA
Favorite thing about Alexandria Stylebook? Learning something new every day about our community here in Alexandria
Favorite spot in Alexandria: La Pluma restaurant outdoor patio
Your go-to shop(s): Trader Joe's
Best food spot(s): La Pluma, Cheesetique, Pupatella, Chart House
Favorite local organization(s): The Art League
Annual Alexandria event you most look forward to: Art on the Avenue Del Ray
Jeff with Renée C. Gage.
