Artist of the Week: Realistic Finger Paintings by Zaria Forman
We have mentioned on several occasions that painting is most likely the oldest art form ever to be made by man (visual, at least, as there is really no way of telling if our prehistoric ancestors made music without instruments or sheet music).
Painting plays an important part in our development as a species, as it allowed us to develop abstract thinking, and also visually document parts of everyday, mundane existence, as well as more “important” events. It is, after all, in the minds of many people, virtually synonymous with art, and it could be argued that without it, art as a concept would not even exist.
Like any craft, painting comes with its own set of tools, namely brushes. But not always.
Finger painting was introduced to the world by Ruth Faison Shaw, as an educational and therapeutic practice. She developed her techniques in Rome, Italy, and later patented a non-toxic paint in 1931. Her work continues to this day through the Shaw School and Studio, founded by Bryan Carey who, much like in Star Wars, was an apprentice of John Thomas Payne (an apprentice of Shaw).
Finger painting, however, is not just used in therapy and education. Finger painting is an art form all on its own, as you are about to see.
Today, we will be taking a look at some absolutely gorgeous realistic finger paintings by Zaria Forman. But first, let’s get to know her a little better.
Zaria hails from Brooklyn, New York, but she has traveled the world with her mother, visiting what she describes as being “[several] of the world’s most remote landscapes”, which were the subject of her mother’s -Rena Bass Forman- fine art photographs. Her travels with her mother, as well as her mother’s art photography are one of Zaria’s main influences.
She began exhibiting after finishing her formal training at Skidmore College. Her first exhibition came in 2005, at the Case Gallery in Saragota Springs, New York, followed by group exhibitions at the Rockalnd Center for Arts in New York, the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock, and the Carla Massoni Gallery in Chestertown, all in 2006.
Since her first solo exhibition in 2005, Zaria has had a further four exhibitions in the USA, as well as participating at an exhibition in Ghent, Belgium, at the Zebrastraat Art and Cultural Center, at a show called John Zorn’s Obsessions Collective, in 2013.
Aside from her exhibitions, Zaria has also been involved in the set designs of few theater productions, as well as a TV show.
One of the theater productions is called Giselle, and the set was comprised of ten of her drawings, which she created specifically for the production. It premiered in October 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland, at the Grand Theater of Geneva.
Her most famous collaboration (of which you probably know without knowing) is with the Netflix show House of Cards. The producers chose 10 of Zaria’s drawings to feature in the show.
Now its time we show you Zaria’s amazing paintings. We have chosen some of our favorites from some of the collections available on her website, and we will be quoting what she has to say about each collection. So sit back, scroll down, and enjoy this artist’s stunning works.
1. Greenland 2006
“With my Greenland series I attempt to capture the ephemeral properties of arctic light. I am interested in the element of water and how it absorbs and reflects the light in its various forms. The forms that we easily recognize are water, cloud, and fog; these are essential elements that inspire my compositions. I am also interested in the transition between these states and enjoy the challenge of translating such sublime experiences into my work. The different forms of illuminated water give rise to the dreamy, atmospheric scenes that I hope will transport the viewer to this remote region of the earth. I am grateful to have the opportunity to visit such places and enjoy the challenge of conveying their beauty. Perhaps if people can experience these sublime landscapes, they will be inspired to protect and preserve them.”
2. Israel
“The Israel series was inspired by the coastline of Tel-Aviv. When I traveled there in 2009 I was fascinated with the waters of the Mediterranean, which were saturated with rich hues and were simultaneously transparent and luminous. I took on the enjoyable challenge of capturing this rich contrast, rendering the golden sand and its reflection in smooth pastel. The sea foam was created in layers to evoke the bubbly essence of a crashing wave.”
3. Giselle
“A series of 10 drawings I created were used as the set design for Giselle, a classic ballet that premiered at the Grand Theater of Geneva, Switzerland, in October 2012. The Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidberg and I collaborated to choose each image and its details. Photographs of the drawings were then enlarged and printed to fit the stage.”
4. Greenland 2012: Chasing the Light
“In August 2012, I led an Arctic expedition up the NW coast of Greenland. Called “Chasing the Light”, it was the second expedition the mission of which was to create art inspired by this dramatic geography. The first, in 1869, was led by the American painter William Bradford. My mother, Rena Bass Forman, had conceived the idea for the voyage, but did not live to see it through. During the months of her illness her dedication to the expedition never wavered and I promised to carry out her final journey. These drawings were inspired by this trip. 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.”
5. The Maldives
“Continuing the story of polar melt, which is the main cause of rising seas, I followed the meltwater from the Arctic to the equator. I spent September 2013 in the Maldives, the lowest and flattest country in the world, collecting material and inspiration to create a body of work celebrating and representing a nation that could be entirely underwater within this century.”
6. Storms
“In 2004, I began making large-scale pastel drawings, and for the following two years tumultuous skies consumed my attention. Severe weather is at once captivating and destructive, beautiful and terrifying. These early works evoke both the turbulence and the tranquility found in the powerful forces of nature. Perhaps my compositions offer a reminder of how small we are in light of our planet’s potential (or, even more extremely, in light of the universe’s infinitude). Reflecting on this has always been therapeutic for me, and I hope the drawings offer viewers a similar experience.”
That wraps up our article on Zaria Forman’s amazing finger paintings. We do encourage you to check out more of her art by going over to her website here, or by clicking any of the above images’ source links. But before you do that, don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
very nice pictures