By Savanah Bandy
If it’s a little bit creepy, a little bit earthy and a little bit old, it’s right up Erin Poor’s alley.
Erin is a Seneca-based mixed-media artist inspired by folklore, mythology, hauntology and the woods where she resides with her family. She produces her art through her business, Feral Folk Inc, which focuses on sustainable forestry, bee keeping, foraging, education and real estate investing. That theme of sustainability can be spotted in much of her artwork.
“I’m a firm believer in, ‘waste not, want not,’” she said. “I really enjoy repurposing discarded objects like clothes, old sculptures and weird vintage fixtures to resurrect them into new forms. When I see used clothes or items, I don’t just look at them for their intended purposes … I think of them as ingredients to what I am cooking up artistically. If I find a shirt and have fallen in love with the fabric, I will buy it and rip it up for my vision. I like to take old fixtures or figurines and make molds from them to create something new. I volunteer at the Seneca Food Pantry and Thrift Store, and sometimes things are unsellable, and it so happens to be something that I want to use, so it goes to my artistic creations.”
Erin is also heavily influenced by Medieval, Gothic and Renaissance architecture. She is currently pursuing a BFA in Studio Art from Missouri Southern State University and visited the Czech Republic and Austria twice last year – once in May and again in December – on trips through the university.
The most recent trip began with a tour of Prague, followed by a visit to Hradec Králové University in the Czech Republic and ended with a stay in Vienna.
“I took lots of photos and gained a lot of inspiration for future pieces,” she said. “I love seeing the weird dark history, museums, haunted places, beautiful winter scenery and gothic, architectural displays.”
Erin’s knack for spotting beauty in everyday things stretches back to childhood. She has always been drawn to things she found aesthetically pleasing.
“I have always been a creative person. I have always had this obsession to make things that are aesthetically pleasing for myself; and other people also seem to find it pleasing,” she said. “Sometimes I have things to say through my art … and sometimes, it’s just art for art’s sake.”
In her free time, Erin enjoys spending time with her husband, Andrew Poor, an alternatives energy and solar technology instructor at Crowder College, and their four children. Erin is also passionate about giving back to the community as a volunteer at the Seneca Food Pantry and Thrift Store.
Where to Find Art by Erin Poor:
Online
Instagram @FeralFolkInc
In Person
Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex
212 W. Seventh St., Joplin, Missouri
75th Annual Spiva Membership Show & Emerging Artist Show
Sponsored by Joplin Regional Artist Coalition
See more photos in the January 2023 print or digital edition of Show Me The Ozarks Magazine.