Artists: A - G: Nancy Blum

In my drawings and sculptural installations, lush, active plant and insect life sprawl unpredictably across the page or wall. The work depicts the intensity, autonomy and mystery of the natural world. Building layer upon layer of line and color or form, the space becomes dense with energy and activity. When one looks into the work, the looking is rewarded by multiple moments of visual complexity. Drawing from Eastern and Western visual cultures, Chinese plum blossoms mingle with Germanic botanical renderings; spirographs add a pseudo scientific, techno-reference and all combine to create a thriving utopia. The work is robustly erotic, purporting a sexuality that is simultaneously male and female. As a natural response to the obsessive qualities of line and repetition and form, I want the act of looking to seduce the observer into meditation. The underlying intention is to create a trance like rhythm that makes the looking experiential.

Nancy Blum received a BA from the University of Michigan and a MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. She taught at the University of Georgia Athens and Cortona, Italy. Her work has been recognized through fellowships with the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the Mid-Atlantic Arts Council, and the Lower East Side Printshop in New York. Interested in public art, Nancy Blum installed a 90-foot wall piece at the Seattle/Tacoma International Airport and worked on projects for the Metro Transit Authority, NYC and the Charlotte Area Transit System. Nancy Blum's work has been featured in solo exhibitions and galleries across the US including the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, VA, The Boise Art Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale, AZ.