Artist Statement
Brittan Blasdel is an American mixed media artist living in Charleston, SC.
Her work explores the language of nature in combination with the language of the human touch through repetitive mark making and layering of materials. These conversations result in work that lives in neither world fully. New vistas and entities emerge through the back and forth between human intervention and the source. Brittan uses a range of materials from found wood, metallic tacks, goldleaf, paint, paper, sand, and even fire. No matter the materials, the process is very “hands on” and dictates the work.
Recently, Brittan began a series of work using plant root systems and the charred remains of beach bonfires. Up from the ashes, reignited with paint and gold leaf, these sculptural objects are both ugly and regal, awkward and refined. There is no one resting place that says it all. “In my current work I let the objects dictate the materials and where those materials are placed. I have no planned outcome and often let my mind wander as I work. Sometimes the results are a mess, and the piece feels lost. Taken one way, this is my opportunity to actively step in and realign the various components so that balance is achieved.”
Brittan Blasdel received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan School of Art. Since graduating in 1992 she has exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions across the country.
