We are proud to announce that starting on October 1, 2019, Gallery of Dreams will be hosting a mini-residency for 6 weeks. Through Gallery of Dreams, the selected artist will have the opportunity to create a new body of work in our provided studio space that will conclude with a solo exhibition. While allowing the artists to focus on creating their work in a welcoming and inspiring environment, the residency program gives the opportunity for students and the community to observe and engage with a working artist. The program will also include artist lectures and various educational opportunities.

Erika Duque is a landscape and nature-based painter who lives and works in Fort Worth, TX. She is originally from Flushing, Queens, NY. Duque received her BFA at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her MFA in painting at Texas Christian University. 

She has been featured in over thirty solo and group shows combined, throughout Dallas Fort Worth. In 2017, Duque was nominated by Ro2 Gallery for Rising Star Fundraiser at the Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts. Duque is currently represented by Fort Works Art Gallery in Fort Worth, TX. 
​
Duque is also an art educator and has been invited to lead workshops at museums such as The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and The Sid Richardson Museum, and frequently teaches at Oil and Cotton. 

In her studio, through painting, she tries to recreate the sensation and amazement that can be felt and seen in nature. Her practice also includes visiting state parks, national parks or any green space. She takes field notes, sketches, photographs, and videos, to take back to the studio and work from. By not painting en plein air, she uses her memory to be her main source of inspiration, by doing this she is allowing slight exaggerations in colors and textures to personalize the experience of being in nature.