Author of the article

Resa Blatman specializes in contemporary visual art projects inspired by nature and climate change. Her work is painting, drawing, and installation-based and offers the viewer a multi-faceted experience via the undulations and movement of the paint and the three-dimensional form, creating an opportunity for contemplation and a deeper look at the overwhelming changes to our environment. The delicate and ominous drawings, captivating installations, and lush paintings evolve through the documentation of occurrences such as bird migration; melting glaciers and rising tides; coral bleaching; oil spills and plastic ocean pollution; etc, and their effect on — and transformation of — our landscape and natural resources. To reflect this concept visually, the installations are often littered with forms that mimic coral, seaweed, and flora — they are cut, poured, layered, and constructed into swirling three-dimensional waterscapes. There’s a tangibility to this work in the way it juts forth from the wall, creating a metaphorical sound like the frenzied violence of a mighty glacier calving and crashing into the ocean. The drawings feature stunning, yet dying coral reefs on dark, ominous backgrounds. In the paintings, there are cold weather animals trying to survive in hot, swampy environments and walls of ocean water swallowing the landscape. This tragic reality is also reflected through a narrative of dramatic skies, invasive plants, and anxious, yet lovingly painted birds. This timely work traverses the underbelly of the sublime and the beautiful, and the future of an Earthly dystopia. Resa Blatman is a Somerville, Massachusetts-based visual artist. You can see more of her work at www.resablatman.com