LUIS ERAZO, MAKER EXTRAORDINAIRE.

i am Luis Erazo, owner of NIKNAX WORKSHOP. i like to make. i’m curious about how the world works. what are the elements that shape how we move/live/interact/exist? can anyone (me) learn to make anything they dream and conceive?

my design studio exists as a means to explore those questions, materials, and processes. the art seen here reflects my skills in architecture, glassblowing, metal smithing, graphic design, carpentry, plaster casting, and digital fabrication.

from wood display cases and cutting boards to pendant lamps and jewelry, no project is out of reach of my skill set. if you desire custom work or have questions about my practice, contact me here.

🤖🎃The FACES🤡👹 From doodles on margins of pages to full fledged art pieces ••• these faces are fun caricatures, inspired by art we made as kids, dipping thumbs in paint and finger painting ••• inspired by a desire to create a print using modern methods [lazzzersss] and old tech [mishima] ••• an art print that incorporates the frame ••• playfully colorful and shiny like candy Coming soon to NiknaxWorkshop.com! #niknax #niknaxworkshop #doodleart
〰️new phase 〰️ a continuation of my practice of making patterns, rigorous repetition, line making. i am drawn to composing figures and scenes, but in a circuitous and abstract way. the drawing plans itself as I move my pen. ➿it’s cathartic, r
〰️new phase 〰️ a continuation of my practice of making patterns, rigorous repetition, line making. i am drawn to composing figures and scenes, but in a circuitous and abstract way. the drawing plans itself as I move my pen. ➿it’s cathartic, restful, meditative. i get to sit still and quiet the monkey mind. it’s very fun and i never know how exactly the image will look. it’s a letting go of sorts ➿ #niknax #niknaxworkshop #doodles #linework #topography #gestaltdesign #linedrawing #patterndesign
Would you like a custom illustration? As a gift? For yourself? Then head on over to my website! I’m offering custom illustrations based on reference pictures. They’ll be rendered in my style, using pastel color palettes and chock full of
Would you like a custom illustration? As a gift? For yourself? Then head on over to my website! I’m offering custom illustrations based on reference pictures. They’ll be rendered in my style, using pastel color palettes and chock full of details. I’ve been cartooning for years and I’m excited to offer this to the world! 2-3 weeks for delivery, printed on high quality archival matte paper #niknax #niknaxworkshop #customillustrations #illustrations
A quick snapshot of the market I participated in early April. It was a fun event, different from most markets in that it had ambience and a community feel. Felt like chillin in your living room. 😎 For years, I’ve wanted to work with acrylic and a Mishima technique to bring some of my sketches to life. And I’ve done just that! I’ve taken color blocks in acrylic and overlayed them with line work done in paint! I also tackled the conundrum of the selling a print sans a frame. In these acrylic prints, I’ve created a framed piece of art, ready to be displayed right away. The bright and shiny brass Chicago screws accent the glossy acrylic 👊 Oh! I almost forgot to mention the happy accident of discovering how these pieces become fluorescent when downlit. I was showing Grace one of the pieces under our stove light and then we both noticed how it glowed. So, in time for the show, I whipped up that frame seen in the video. A happy accident and discovery! I’m off to make some more of these playful creations. I hope to have them listen on my site. I’m hoping better still to have a whole army of them displayed in a gallery show. Here’s to hoping 😄 #niknax #niknaxworkshop #acrylicillustration #facedoodles #portlandartist #mishima
A commemorative pendant celebrating Oregon Sunstone and the environment it came from: the desert. Garrett’s grandpa mined the stone from central Oregon and he wanted an element in the pendant to allude to the stone’s origin. I make a lot
A commemorative pendant celebrating Oregon Sunstone and the environment it came from: the desert. Garrett’s grandpa mined the stone from central Oregon and he wanted an element in the pendant to allude to the stone’s origin. I make a lot of art, it just spews forth. But my art takes on a more meaningful dimension when it has a higher purpose. I’m thankful to Garrett for allowing me to work with such a precious memento. This commissioned piece is also meaningful to me for other reasons. It spurred me to create my own casting machine. It was my first solo casting. It was my first design incorporating a stone. And in a full circle moment, I cast this piece (in part) using silver that I had from my first ever casting experience back in 2015 (when I first became awed and entranced with casting)! Moreover, @ben.loeliger was there to help (in so many ways). He was also in the casting class with me almost 10 years ago. As Stephen King would say: “Ka is a wheel: it always comes round to the same place again”. I often don’t know how to interact online, what to share, all that jazz. But I figured I’d document this moment. As always, reach out with curiosities, questions, and requests! #niknaxworkshop #niknax #jewelrydesigner #jewelrydesign #silverjewelry #silverpendant
I turned Grace into a cartoon. Ain’t she cute! 😁 If anyone else wants to be cartoonified, holler! Happy Holidays to you all 🇵🇸 #niknax #niknaxworkshop #jackofalltrades
I turned Grace into a cartoon. Ain’t she cute! 😁 If anyone else wants to be cartoonified, holler! Happy Holidays to you all 🇵🇸 #niknax #niknaxworkshop #jackofalltrades
🥃Niknax Rocks Glasses🥃 These are my final offering for the time being: hand blown rocks glasses! 😄 Find them at NiknaxWorkshop.com I was commisssioned to make a few of these a while back. I enjoyed making them so much that I made a batch. Key f
🥃Niknax Rocks Glasses🥃 These are my final offering for the time being: hand blown rocks glasses! 😄 Find them at NiknaxWorkshop.com I was commisssioned to make a few of these a while back. I enjoyed making them so much that I made a batch. Key features: •organic shapes, with more variability •sandblasted interiors; the beauty of frosted glass without sacrificing the exterior smoothness The last picture shows the glasses prepped for sandblasting. Then you have to thoroughly wash the glasses the remove the fine sandblast media. Why sandblast the inside? Because frosted glass picks up smudges, dirt, oil, and fingerprints. It never looks clean. But I like the effect and thus this process was born! 😄 #niknaxworkshop #glassart #glassofig #madeinoregon #handblownglass #rocksglass #handblownglassart #functionalglassart
⚫️Black Speckle Cups◼️ I present to you my black hand blown glass tumblers, available for monetary consumption at: NiknaxWorkshop.com I made these as the counterpoint to the white tumblers. The process is slightly different resulting in less disto
⚫️Black Speckle Cups◼️ I present to you my black hand blown glass tumblers, available for monetary consumption at: NiknaxWorkshop.com I made these as the counterpoint to the white tumblers. The process is slightly different resulting in less distortion of the colors and thus less pastel tints. As always, I like sharing the process so here goes: black powder is gathered onto glass, clear glass overlayed onto that, then concentrated color bits placed on top. The black powder and the color never touch because they don’t interact well; the colors would get muddy if they did touch! One last thing: glass colors are made with a variety of metals. The metals react to ambient gases, such as the propane in the furnace. Some of the colors were overheated, bringing the metals to the surface and resulting in metallic spots. Science is cool! #niknaxworkshop #handblownglass #glassart #drinkware #handblown #glassofig #handblownwineglass #stemlesswineglass #glassblowingart
🎨Watercolor Cups 🎨 Here a just a few of my hand blown glass tumblers that I have for sale on my site: NiknaxWorkshop.com A year or so back, I started playing with some different coloring techniques which led to the cups you see. I love color in g
🎨Watercolor Cups 🎨 Here a just a few of my hand blown glass tumblers that I have for sale on my site: NiknaxWorkshop.com A year or so back, I started playing with some different coloring techniques which led to the cups you see. I love color in glass but I prefer subdued colors. So I stumbled into a way to emulate watercolors, taking concentrated glass colors and rendering them into softer pastel hues. Ever since seeing watercolor paintings, especially Hayao Miyazaki’s storyboards, I’ve been entranced by the technique and softness of those colors. The process for making these tumblers is quite long (you can read more on my site), but it’s well worth it! For most of my work, I strive to embrace processes, precision, and embrace hand craft. These are an example of that rigorous work. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading! #niknaxworkshop #handblownglass #handblownwineglass #stemlesswineglass #glassblowing #glassblowingart
🎃 pumpkin season 🎃 I’ve been leaning more into making whimsical things, objects that only serve to delight and bring wonder! So I’ve made these glow-in-the-dark pumpkins 🎃 The “white” exterior is glass powder that glows,
🎃 pumpkin season 🎃 I’ve been leaning more into making whimsical things, objects that only serve to delight and bring wonder! So I’ve made these glow-in-the-dark pumpkins 🎃 The “white” exterior is glass powder that glows, overlayed onto black. Then I sandblast away the glow using a handmade template (pic 3) and VOILA! A jack o’ lantern is born ✨ the icing on the cake is the stem, made with a green that sparkles in the light I have two left for now on Etsy. Get ‘em while you can! #niknax #niknaxworkshop #handblown #handblownglass #glassblowing #glasspumpkin #glowingpumpkin #halloweenglass
〰️new doodz〰️ i’m back at it with another installment of blobs and textures. still loving the posca colors and realizing that using these acrylic paint markers adds a texture of its on to the paper. reflecting on the inherent roughness of the
〰️new doodz〰️ i’m back at it with another installment of blobs and textures. still loving the posca colors and realizing that using these acrylic paint markers adds a texture of its on to the paper. reflecting on the inherent roughness of the world; when you zoom in enough, nothing is smooth 🤔 #niknax #niknaxworkshop #doodleart #linedrawing #topographicaldrawing #texturalart #patterndesign #poscart #patternmaking #contourdrawing
〰️topo doodle〰️ many have stated that some of my drawings are reminiscent of topographical lines. so i have switched it up and gone full topo. i love the way it came out and had fun imagining what kind of landforms these patterns represent #niknax
〰️topo doodle〰️ many have stated that some of my drawings are reminiscent of topographical lines. so i have switched it up and gone full topo. i love the way it came out and had fun imagining what kind of landforms these patterns represent #niknax #niknaxworkshop #doodles #linework #topography #topographyart #linedrawing #topografia
〰️new doodz〰️ i love the matte nature of posca pens; they are an acrylic paint pen with rich colors. because they are paint, they leave a texture behind on the paper that i’m fond. my main focus is textural themes and though i was initially an
〰️new doodz〰️ i love the matte nature of posca pens; they are an acrylic paint pen with rich colors. because they are paint, they leave a texture behind on the paper that i’m fond. my main focus is textural themes and though i was initially annoyed by the texture, ive come to enjoy this medium 😄 #niknax #niknaxworkshop #doodleart #linedrawing #topographicdrawing #texturalart #patterndesign #poscaart
〰️new doodlez〰️ moved to portland and have been spending the past few months figuring out how to layout our new space and shop. the shop is smaller so i’ve had to get efficient with what i own and getting organized. this piece got started last
〰️new doodlez〰️ moved to portland and have been spending the past few months figuring out how to layout our new space and shop. the shop is smaller so i’ve had to get efficient with what i own and getting organized. this piece got started last summer and it’s finally fucking done!⚡️ new work coming. summer is around the corner. messing around with metal. collab’ing with friends. website on the way (finally) life is good! #niknax #niknaxworkshop #doodling #poscaart #linework #patterndesign #linedrawing #penillustration #blobs #portlandartist #honduranartist
a glass smoking device [made by me] the coloration of this piece is reminiscent of oil on water. it’s one of those magical moments where the metals in two glass colors react creating this unpredictable patterning. i dug this out of my storag
a glass smoking device [made by me] the coloration of this piece is reminiscent of oil on water. it’s one of those magical moments where the metals in two glass colors react creating this unpredictable patterning. i dug this out of my storage to practice some sandblasting. i am a big fan of creating a matte finish on glass; the light flows along and through the piece in a way that gives it a haloed effect. i’m in the midst of unpacking and setting up my shop but I look forward to making some more art and sharing some with ya. i’m most interested in delving further into playing with textures and new finishes 😎 ps available for purchase at nobleglassgallery.com • • • #niknax #niknaxworkshop #glassblowing #glassofig #handblown #dabrig #functionalglass #handmadebong #functionalglassart #glassblowing #glassblower
I had the honor of photographing this lovely couple a few weeks back 😄 Easily the best looking couple I’ve seen and dressed to the nines 🤌 Hooray for romantic gestures and happy couples! (Holla at ya boi if you want some photos taken, jus s
I had the honor of photographing this lovely couple a few weeks back 😄 Easily the best looking couple I’ve seen and dressed to the nines 🤌 Hooray for romantic gestures and happy couples! (Holla at ya boi if you want some photos taken, jus sayin) • • • #niknax #niknaxworkshop #weddingphotographer #photographer #jackofalltrades #weddingphotography
The ENERŌ Lamp I love mixing all the mediums, materials, and techniques that I know. This lamp represents just that! Hand blown glass utilizing blue canes for the shade. The glass was cut with a saw, polished with diamond lapidary tools, and frosted
The ENERŌ Lamp I love mixing all the mediums, materials, and techniques that I know. This lamp represents just that! Hand blown glass utilizing blue canes for the shade. The glass was cut with a saw, polished with diamond lapidary tools, and frosted with an acid solution (though nowadays I’d sandblast instead). The base is made of exterior grade plaster cast in a laser cut stack mold. The lamp holder on the interior is fastened with laser cut parts designed by moi! It’s my desire to make beautiful, sculptural objects. To make long lasting pieces that contain a story, namely the story of how I conceived them and how I learned all these things. Once I’m settled this season, I’ll be releasing more of these lamps! • • • #glassblowing #handblownglass #glassdesign #glassdesigner #lampdesign #glassblowing #glassofig #lightingdesign #lightingdesign #glasslighting #plasterlamp #honduranartist #customlighting #handblownlighting #jackofalltrades #niknax #niknaxworkshop
〰️Proudly presenting my Squiggle Brass Earring Collection〰️ This is 05 of 09 earring styles. Super minimalist hammered brass with silver posts. Despite being the smallest, they are the most difficult ones to make! It’s hard to hold while worki
〰️Proudly presenting my Squiggle Brass Earring Collection〰️ This is 05 of 09 earring styles. Super minimalist hammered brass with silver posts. Despite being the smallest, they are the most difficult ones to make! It’s hard to hold while working the metal! These earrings are part of an ongoing exploration of metalsmithing and my love of lines/line work/textures. Available on Etsy, shop name: NikNax Workshop. • • • #niknax #niknaxworkshop #metalsmith #contemporaryart #contemporaryjewelry #modernbrass #sculpturaljewelry #sculpturalbrass #handformedbrass #handmadejewelry #statementearrings #sculpturalearrings #madeinoregon #handformed #squiggle #honduranartist
〰️Proudly presenting my Squiggles Brass Earring Collection〰️ This is 02 of 09 earring styles. Minimalist hammered brass with silver posts. The brass has a square profile; I’m really drawn to seeing metal in a rectangular form! These particul
〰️Proudly presenting my Squiggles Brass Earring Collection〰️ This is 02 of 09 earring styles. Minimalist hammered brass with silver posts. The brass has a square profile; I’m really drawn to seeing metal in a rectangular form! These particular earrings were born from my desire to fuse round profile and square profile brass wire. And ironically, the square wire has curves and the round wire is straight. If you’re interested, these are available on Etsy, shop name: NikNax Workshop or via the link in my bio. • • • #niknax #niknaxworkshop #metalsmithing #contemporaryart #modernbrass #sculpturaljewelry #sculpturalbrass #handformed #handformedbrass #handmadejewelry #statementearrings #sculpturalearrings #madeinoregon #squiggle #honduranartist
〰️Proudly presenting my Squiggles Brass Earring Collection〰️ This is 04 of my 09 earring styles. Minimalist hammered brass with silver posts. The brass has a square profile; I find that atypical shape very pleasing. As an aside: there’s nothin
〰️Proudly presenting my Squiggles Brass Earring Collection〰️ This is 04 of my 09 earring styles. Minimalist hammered brass with silver posts. The brass has a square profile; I find that atypical shape very pleasing. As an aside: there’s nothing more therapeutic than bangin’ on metal 😁 These earrings are part of my ongoing exploration of metalsmithing and my love of linework and textures. Available on Etsy, shop name: NikNax Workshop and link in the bio ⭐️ I currently find myself enmeshed in a variety of crafts. I say enmeshed because I wasn’t necessarily looking to hammer on metal or even to blow glass. I stumbled upon it by mere chance and these age-old art traditions have hooked some part of my brain. The part of me that likes to learn, the part that likes to be challenged, the restless spirit that requires new stimulus lest I get bored. I am grateful to be on this path, to live in a time when I can learn just about anything I want! • • • #niknax #niknaxworkshop #metalsmithing #contemporaryart #modernbrass #sculpturaljewelry #sculpturalbrass #handformed #handformedbrass #handmadejewelry #statementearrings #sculpturalearrings #madeinoregon #squiggle #honduranartist
🤖🎃The FACES🤡👹 From doodles on margins of pages to full fledged art pieces ••• these faces are fun caricatures, inspired by art we made as kids, dipping thumbs in paint and finger painting ••• inspired by a desire to
〰️new phase 〰️ a continuation of my practice of making patterns, rigorous repetition, line making. i am drawn to composing figures and scenes, but in a circuitous and abstract way. the drawing plans itself as I move my pen. ➿it’s cathartic, r Would you like a custom illustration? As a gift? For yourself? Then head on over to my website! I’m offering custom illustrations based on reference pictures. They’ll be rendered in my style, using pastel color palettes and chock full of
A quick snapshot of the market I participated in early April. It was a fun event, different from most markets in that it had ambience and a community feel. Felt like chillin in your living room. 😎 For years, I’ve wanted to work with acrylic a
A commemorative pendant celebrating Oregon Sunstone and the environment it came from: the desert. Garrett’s grandpa mined the stone from central Oregon and he wanted an element in the pendant to allude to the stone’s origin. I make a lot I turned Grace into a cartoon. Ain’t she cute! 😁 If anyone else wants to be cartoonified, holler! Happy Holidays to you all 🇵🇸 #niknax #niknaxworkshop #jackofalltrades 🥃Niknax Rocks Glasses🥃 These are my final offering for the time being: hand blown rocks glasses! 😄 Find them at NiknaxWorkshop.com I was commisssioned to make a few of these a while back. I enjoyed making them so much that I made a batch. Key f ⚫️Black Speckle Cups◼️ I present to you my black hand blown glass tumblers, available for monetary consumption at: NiknaxWorkshop.com I made these as the counterpoint to the white tumblers. The process is slightly different resulting in less disto 🎨Watercolor Cups 🎨 Here a just a few of my hand blown glass tumblers that I have for sale on my site: NiknaxWorkshop.com A year or so back, I started playing with some different coloring techniques which led to the cups you see. I love color in g 🎃 pumpkin season 🎃 I’ve been leaning more into making whimsical things, objects that only serve to delight and bring wonder! So I’ve made these glow-in-the-dark pumpkins 🎃 The “white” exterior is glass powder that glows, 〰️new doodz〰️ i’m back at it with another installment of blobs and textures. still loving the posca colors and realizing that using these acrylic paint markers adds a texture of its on to the paper. reflecting on the inherent roughness of the 〰️topo doodle〰️ many have stated that some of my drawings are reminiscent of topographical lines. so i have switched it up and gone full topo. i love the way it came out and had fun imagining what kind of landforms these patterns represent #niknax 〰️new doodz〰️ i love the matte nature of posca pens; they are an acrylic paint pen with rich colors. because they are paint, they leave a texture behind on the paper that i’m fond. my main focus is textural themes and though i was initially an 〰️new doodlez〰️ moved to portland and have been spending the past few months figuring out how to layout our new space and shop. the shop is smaller so i’ve had to get efficient with what i own and getting organized. this piece got started last a glass smoking device [made by me] the coloration of this piece is reminiscent of oil on water. it’s one of those magical moments where the metals in two glass colors react creating this unpredictable patterning. i dug this out of my storag I had the honor of photographing this lovely couple a few weeks back 😄 Easily the best looking couple I’ve seen and dressed to the nines 🤌 Hooray for romantic gestures and happy couples! (Holla at ya boi if you want some photos taken, jus s The ENERŌ Lamp I love mixing all the mediums, materials, and techniques that I know. This lamp represents just that! Hand blown glass utilizing blue canes for the shade. The glass was cut with a saw, polished with diamond lapidary tools, and frosted 〰️Proudly presenting my Squiggle Brass Earring Collection〰️ This is 05 of 09 earring styles. Super minimalist hammered brass with silver posts. Despite being the smallest, they are the most difficult ones to make! It’s hard to hold while worki 〰️Proudly presenting my Squiggles Brass Earring Collection〰️ This is 02 of 09 earring styles. Minimalist hammered brass with silver posts. The brass has a square profile; I’m really drawn to seeing metal in a rectangular form! These particul 〰️Proudly presenting my Squiggles Brass Earring Collection〰️ This is 04 of my 09 earring styles. Minimalist hammered brass with silver posts. The brass has a square profile; I find that atypical shape very pleasing. As an aside: there’s nothin