Here’s something that might make you think twice about how stunning the cold can be. These are not photos! They are photo-realistic pastel paintings by Zaria Forman, who has painted beautiful depictions of Greenland’s icebergs in homage to her late mother. As she states:
These drawings were inspired by this trip [Chasing the Light Documentary in Greenland]. Documenting climate change, the work addresses the concept of saying goodbye on scales both global and personal. In Greenland, I scattered my mother’s ashes amidst the melting ice.
They are captivating!
Zaria’s work has been used as set design backdrops at the Grand Theatre of Geneva, Switzerland in October 2012 and her drawings were used as artwork for the drama series, House of Cards.
From the artist’s bio:
The inspiration for my drawings began in early childhood when I traveled with my family throughout several of the world’s most remote landscapes, which were the subject of my mother’s fine art photography. After my formal training at Skidmore college I now exhibit extensively in galleries and venues throughout the United States and overseas.
You can view them all via 123 Inspiration and by going to the artist’s website. Also, Ohhdeer has a great interview with the artist. They ask several questions about her creative process, which is always is the most intriguing to me — what’s the inspiration and how is it achieved?
…I developed an appreciation for the beauty and vastness of the ever-changing sky and sea. I loved watching a far-off storm on the western desert plains; the monsoon rains of southern India; and the cold arctic light illuminating Greenland’s waters. In my work I explore moments of transition, turbulence and tranquility in the landscape and their impact on the viewer. In this process I am reminded of how small we are when confronted with the powerful forces of nature. The act of drawing can be a meditation for me, and my hope is that the viewer can share this experience of tranquil escape when engaging the work. Aside from the natural world, my mother, landscape photographer Rena Bass Forman was certainly one of the biggest influences in my life, and continues to be even after passing away in 2011. William Bradford, Robert Longo, and Clifford Ross are a few of the many other artists who inspire me….For the Giselle series I used charcoal pencils, stumps, various erasers, and a straight edge. For the landscape drawings, I only use my hands.
She also paints beautiful water imagery, capturing the incredible light and reflection within the water so superbly. These are just a few from her Maldives series.
And she turns foreboding storms into inspirational artwork.
If you’d like to see her artwork in person, she has ongoing Gallery showings in New York as well as upcoming exhibitions planned.
