resa blatman

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Through my work, I attempt to show nature at odds with itself by playing with the contradictions of lush versus barren and rapture versus displeasure. The berries/grapes, tiny dots, hanging pods, and beads represent eggs and seeds. Heaps are an important element: these eggs and seeds, and sometimes creatures, accumulate in mounds and signal the bounty of ripeness and sexuality within all of nature.

My compositions are inspired by the Renaissance, Baroque, Victorian decorative art, and botanical imagery, to create a visual feast of fruit, wildlife, and pattern. I take these elements out of their context and give them a surreal landscape or contemporary stage. When placed together, the forms and patterns represent a kind of life cycle that is layered and mysterious. Themes of excess and beauty are represented through the decorative qualities in the paintings. Yet, these invasive patterns creep into the fecund environments of the animals and insects, and along with the ominous fruit, create a picture of untamed sensuality mixed with undertones of wanting and dismay.

The digitally designed, intricately cut-edge surfaces are new since 2008. The various edges, which may include animals, insects, and flourishes, are an extension of the patterns within the paintings. These cut forms, along with the shadows made by the cuts, encourage a three-dimensionality to the work, and by doing so, the paintings become more experiential and boundless.

Resa Blatman received her Post-Baccalaureate in Painting from Brandeis University and then went on for her MFA in Painting at Boston University. She currently lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.