RESA BLATMAN

Of her work, Resa says: Lush and representational depictions of nature is an ongoing focus in my work — my current paintings and installations speak specifically to a warming planet/environmental issues, their effect on our landscape and natural resources, and how we perceive the changes in the environment. To reflect this concept more directly, the paintings’ subjects and surfaces are heavily layered and sometimes the surfaces are split apart, with laser-cut forms that mimic tree branches, coral, and flora. This creates a physicality and metaphorical sound like the poetic violence of an iceberg cracking. As we become even more aware of the precarious nature of our habitat, this work speaks to the vulnerability of the earth that we so easily take for granted.

The cut-edge paintings are made on 1/8-1/4 inch panels and/or Mylar sheeting. I design the patterns on the computer and then have the panels and sheets professionally laser-cut. Back in the studio, I layer the pieces on top of one another, sometimes cutting them up and making smaller sections, to create one whole painting. When the surface format is complete, I begin the painting and design process. The cut edges, layered surfaces, and shadows expand the subject matter of the paintings and help to conceive a beauty that is both chaotic and dystopian.

Resa Blatman received an MFA in painting from Boston University in 2006, and a BFA in graphic design from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 1995. She studied at SACI in Florence in 1984, and taught graphic design at MassArt from 1997-2012. Resa has received several grants and awards, including the Arctic Circle Residency, and she’ll be traveling to the Svalbard, Norway in June 2015 to see the great icebergs and glaciers firsthand. Her work is included in several collections, including Fidelity, MA; Twitter, MA; Hilton Hotel, TN; and The WH Ming Hotel in Shanghai, China. Her work has been reviewed and featured in numerous magazines, books, and online blogs. To see an exhibition list, please visit resablatman.com.

Resa Blatman, “Trouble in Paradise 3,” 2015
Oil and Latex Paint on Mylar and PVC; Silk and Plastic Flora, 76 x 17.5 x 12 in.

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