I work as a nursing assistant and have worked at the same hospital since I was 18. I have always doodled on scraps of paper, mostly flowers. Three years ago, I lost both my mother and brother, and loneliness led me to devote more time to my hobbies. Together with a social worker, I put together a calendar of my digital drawings and started attending Barvolam. Since then, I have painted one picture every week, sometimes starting another as well. My hand tells me what to paint. My pictures often feature explosions, disasters, insects, flowers, animals, inventors and aliens. I paint trees in spring, flowers and meadows burning in the summer sun, and in winter I have to try snow and robots. I enjoy swimming in the sea, going on trips and now trying dancing. I would also like to have a dog again, but then I would not be able to go on holiday. One of my great passions is watching detective programmes at night or playing games on my computer—I am addicted to gaming. Erika likes contrasts and bright, vivid colours. She prefers painting with chalks on a dark acrylic base, sometimes applying thick layers or creating assemblages.