Erik Deforce's work is first and foremost an encounter with a world that is light years away from us on the one hand, but yet so close at the same time. The figures and characters he conjures up are in fact not from this earth, but at the same time they are universally recognizable. ... In his work the artist manifests his intimate connection with man as a mythical given. In his ceramic sculptures as well as in his paintings, Deforce puts something indefinable - almost unreal, something cosmic that transcends man.
— Herman Halet
In his visual work, Deforce represents a mysterious world of cosmic archetypes. His paintings and ceramic sculptures depict magical primordial figures of the timeless, mythical life symbols and archetypes of fertility, eroticism and earthly sensuality. They are symbolic representations of the more mythological dimensions of life and creation in the form of abstract phallic totems, fertility goddesses and androgynous or hermaphroditic creatures. These creatures live in a silent, symbolic world surrounded by an atmosphere of sultry sensuality.
Deforce's paintings are dark-transparent, veil-like and devoted to the night. They show the metaphysical horizon behind the veil of reality. They depict the night watchmen, the seeing of the inner eye, the enchantment of the world in the colorful glow of the night. The night as the time of the unconscious. The time of indeterminate feelings, mysterious dreams and desires.
The subtle and dark color palette of his paintings shows his predilection for the old glazing technique. His paintings have a pronounced palette of glowing earthy colors that have been built up by the slow superimposition of several transparent layers of paint. Various shades of the same color are applied one above the other in thin layers of diluted oil paint, resulting in a great depth effect and a wealth of iridescent colors.
Art critic Fernand Bonneure called him 'the master of round shapes' and writes: “Deforce knows what paint is, he works and experiments with it until he has achieved the desired tonality, the intended warmth. Applied in countless layers after scrapings and new coating, he finally finds the desired color value. He swears by warmer tones, browns in all kinds, blues that are refined to deep violet, or "fade out" to light pink austerity. A wealth that speaks of a passionate use of paint and especially of colours. "
