Artists That Inspire

Zaria Forman

I always feel a deep sense of privilege when I come across artists that inspire me. Zaria Forman is one of those artists. I came across a video of Zaria giving a TED Talk speech. She travels to some of the most remote regions on the planet in order to photograph the reference material she needs for her work. For her it is vitally important to be there in person so that she also captures the memory first hand and experiences the emotion and energy of each location. Considering this is an age where internet images of just about anything abound, her continued effort to mount expeditions to travel to these areas is truly impressive.

TED Talk – Zaria Forman

But her travels were not what captured my interest. There were two things about her that struck me. One was her own commitment, the dedication of her life’s work to saving the environment, specifically the melting glaciers. However, she doesn’t draw the tragedy. Rather, she captures the beauty of each area in hopes that the emotion is enough for it to strike a chord deep enough in each observer to really consider what humanity is doing to the planet. Hopefully, her work reaches enough people who are willing to make a change. Now keep in mind that I am no fan of areas with sub-freezing temperatures, but I cannot deny the beauty and grandeur of these areas. And through her work, I can almost feel the cold and hear the ice creaking and groaning.

A peek at Zaria at work and a bit of insight as to why she does what she does.

The second thing that impressed me was her method of applying pigment to canvas. Zaria uses pastels, which isn’t odd in and of itself. But she uses her fingers and hand to apply them to the canvas, smudging and smearing as she goes. She has stated that she cringes when she hears the term “finger-painter,” but really it’s the most accurate way to describe what she does. The fact that the finished drawing is photorealistic? Truly amazing.

Greenland No. 62 – Zaria Forman

Svalbard #33 – Zaria Forman