With a university art degree in hand, Ersland was hired as an illustrator at a large Advertising Studio where he worked for ten years. He then freelanced for several years with representation in New York and Chicago and honed his academic drawing and painting skills even further.

For more than a decade Ersland has focused purely on the fine art of the Old West and Equine Sports. He divides up his working day between gallery paintings, his family and his sport horse Ike.

His Western Paintings have been featured for the past thirteen years in the Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Spirit Art Show, winning "Best in Show" in 2018, "Best Acrylic" in 2016 and 2012 and "Best Miniature" in 2013. Ersland took home a "Best of the West" Blue Ribbon and a "Best of the Wild Horse" 2nd place Ribbon in the Rock Springs Wild Horse Art Show in 2011. See more about awards and shows.

His work has also been regularly exhibited at March in Montana, The Mountain Oyster Art Show in Tucson, AZ, and the American Plains Artists show in Texas.

This year his painting, "Polo's Future" was accepted into the American Association of Equine Artists in Tryon, NC. Presently Ersland's work can be found in Galleries in Juried Shows throughout the Rocky Mountain West and Southwest featuring Art of the American Cowboy and Cowgirl with wild horses and rodeo riders to boot. The Chisholm Gallery in Wellington, Florida features all of Ersland's Fox Hunting and Equestrian Sport Artwork.

An avid horse owner and rider, Ersland has fox hunted from fast horseback but these days prefers the joy of trail riding and training his big sport horse Ike. All this riding experience has made him an informed artist on the ways and feel of the horse.