Resa Blatman { biography }

Through my work, I attempt to show nature at odds with itself by playing with the contradictions of emptiness versus fullness, lush versus barren, and rapture versus displeasure. In my paintings, the berries, lemons, or tiny gold dots represent an abundance of embryos, eggs, and seeds. Heaps are an important element: these berries, gold dots, and sometimes creatures accumulate in piles and mounds and represent the bounty of femininity and ripeness.

I take the bird or flower out of its context and give it a surreal landscape or contemporary stage. These compositions are inspired by the Baroque, Romanticism, and Victorian decorative art, as well as botanical imagery, to create a visual feast of fruit, flora, wildlife, and pattern. Most of the objects are representationally painted with form, while in the same picture others might be used as decorative backgrounds. These forms and objects represent a kind of human life cycle, with all of its changes and complexities. The juxtaposition of these “three-dimensional” and flat forms creates a visually rich dialog that refers to the ongoing contradictions mentioned above, while themes of excess and beauty are also represented through the decorative qualities in the paintings. Yet, these ornamental, invasive patterns creep into the fecund environments of the birds and along with the sometimes ominous berry, create a picture of sensuality mixed with undertones of wanting and dismay.

To see my exhibition list, education, etc., please download my résumé by clicking the link on the right.