“I used to try and paint about the place where the mural lives,” Burke says. “Now I’m realizing the importance of also coupling that with the place where I am from.”
Indeed made up of a multitude of architectural styles, Reno's idiosyncrasies are a consequence of the state’s diverse epochs and cultures. The imprints of mining, gambling, divorce, agriculture, and Paiute indigenous presence can be seen throughout the city, on buildings, storefronts, and homes alike.
For Burke, the structures serve as both inspiration and canvas.
Q: What is it about urban geography/city walls that draws you in, as opposed to other mediums?
A: I've always loved the grit and randomness of the streets. A blank canvas or working in a studio feels too clean and sanitary. Also I think I work best in a call-and-response type environment where you are interacting with more than just a flat surface.
Q: Did you always want to be an artist? What was the journey like?
A: Not at all. I come from a family that has always run a sporting goods store, I pretty much grew up between Bobos and Mt. Rose ski resort. I think my real journey to being an artist came from when my Dad's shop started carrying Rollerblades in the early 90's. My dad made a deal with my brother and I that if we came to Bobo's after school every day and taught customers, we could have our pair of skates. Before long we were building halfpipes and skating everything in the city. Fast forward a few years and while visiting my Grandma in L.A. I entered a vert ramp competition and got 2nd place. That day I got my first sponsor and it just snowballed. I spent most of high school traveling for different events like X Games, Warp Tour, and doing demos all over the World. It's always crazy to look back on that time but it's so connected to what I do now.
Q: Interesting! How so?
A: As a teenager, rollerblading showed me how to look at the world as a collaboration. I started noticing architecture and trying to figure out creative ways to interact with it. Now, I'm asked to figure out creative solutions to architecture again. Some walls are more interesting than others, but in my early days of skating, the city taught me how to think big and creatively. I also feel the correlation to sport because mural painting is such an endurance activity. It works your brain to scale up the proportions but more so it is a full body activity. A wall could take a day but most of the projects I'm working on are about a week of 10-hour days, out in the elements, and under public scrutiny. It's a lot of intense manual labor, from setting up scaffolding, driving heavy machinery, endlessly loading 5-gallon buckets, and then the easy part of just pushing paint.*check out this vibey, 90s-era compilation of a younger, rollerblading-Erik*
Q: Can you recall a memory associated with art that could be considered a turning point, a spark that led you to begin making your own?
A: I think the biggest turning point for me was when I was locked in Lassen County for painting trains and all the inmates were putting money on my books and giving me supplies in exchange for artwork they could mail home to their loved ones. It was kind of crazy! I didn't have any down time and even though I was only in for 18 days I spent the majority of it drawing portraits and doing script of their wives, girlfriends, and baby mama's names. I had a lot of time to mentally plan how I would rewrite my life. It also showed me how important art was to people and gave me the confidence to pursue it.
Q: I read that you’ve tried to move away from Reno several times, but can’t seem to get away. I can relate to this. What are your feelings towards the city?
The Reno boomerang syndrome! I mean, I do love it here - being right on the cusp of Alpine and Desert. I love the light, the air, the people! And as of late it feels like a completely different place with the population surge and even the climate going through fluxes...so staying in place is almost like moving away. Also getting older it's not like your 20's or 30's where you can just pick up and go.
Q: I'm curious if muralists get much feedback from the public - do you get to see how audiences’ receive your work?
A: With murals I think you get way more feedback than other forms of studio art. It's very vulnerable. With studio painting people usually only see the final product. When you paint a mural people see it in every possible stage. And because most of my work is with different clients the "work" actually starts with a design or concept that gets picked apart and chewed up by a whole host of people. By the time it comes time to paint the mural the work has already survived several eyes and opinions.
Q: What inspires you most?
A: Too many things! Twilight on a treeless desert range, the ocean, resilience in the face of adversity. Music has always been a big inspiration. I love rap music and how it sculpts language into something beyond communication.
Q: What, through your murals, are you trying to say? Are there concepts or themes that you are continually drawn to?
A: My work samples from history, photos, and my experiences. I used to try and say something but now I make the work in order to listen to the environment.
Q: Are there any upcoming projects that you're particularly excited about?
A: The summer always picks up and is crazy but I'm most excited to watch my kids soccer season.
