Erika grew up in a small town in Southern California, where she spent a lot of time roaming the hills on either a horse or a motorcycle.   She attended the University of Redlands, where she studied printmaking under John Nava.  After a move to San Francisco, she graduated from SFSU with a degree in Industrial Design.   Although she had a career in the Insurance Industry, she never stopped creating and has explored printmaking, encaustic, mixed media and painting.