About

Heather Blanton is a prolific artist based in Northeast Florida whose most recent “Sports” series has garnered widespread attention. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1973, she has been producing works of art in various media since childhood. Blanton made her way to painting after years of working in black-and-white photography and manipulated Polaroids. Since its inception in 2013, the “Sports” paintings have been captivating audiences around the world for how they capture the nuances of athleticism and sports fandom.

Blanton studied photography at Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale. She then enjoyed a successful career as a commercial and portrait photographer in Jacksonville before exploring fine art photography with Dominic Martorelli at the University of North Florida. Leaving Florida for New York City in 2002 proved transformative for Blanton and her approach to making art. After her formal education, New York’s diversity of photographers left a strong impression on her, and Andrew Moore’s work in particular suggested a tangible path from commercial to fine art photography.

Immersing herself in black and white film development, printing, and toning, Blanton gradually realized how to put her own spin on the techniques she was learning. She became captivated by Polaroids, and spent the next fourteen years producing hand manipulated Polaroid SX-70 images. She returned to her home state in 2004 and combined her experience with Polaroids, traditional printing techniques, and the inspiration she had found in New York into a new artistic trajectory. She quickly saw her work take hold of North and Central Florida, with buyers ranging from major healthcare centers to banks, corporate offices, and private homes.

By 2013, Blanton was looking for a new means of expression. She began her “Sports” series that year, launching an ongoing collection of paintings whose subject matter reflects her method of working. “Sports” provides Blanton with an outlet for her own interest in pushing human limits; the sheer number of canvases, all related yet still entirely distinct, suggest that the relentless pursuit of excellence is part of the human condition. Hypnotic groups of skiers, surfers, football players, golfers, and cyclists, among many others, reflect the irresistible visual appeal of athleticism as they scatter across Blanton’s surfaces. In each of her hundreds of paintings, individuality and team spirit, excitement and alienation, and speed and endurance all hang in constant tension. Blanton’s brushwork recalls Abstract Expressionism for its quick and gesture-like nature. The works capture the electric energy of their subjects. Bright acrylic colors seem to leap from monochrome backgrounds, but their painstaking detail also demand that viewers engage in an active dialogue with them.

The “Sports” series has allowed Blanton to combine her own innate competitive nature with an entire career’s worth of multimedia experimentation. The result is a body of work that appeals to audiences far beyond traditional art realms. Blanton’s commissions now include the NFL Draft and the PGA Tour Headquarters, with features regularly appearing in local and national media outlets. Blanton’s work has been shown in museums, private galleries, and major corporate institutions all over the United States and Europe, from Nashville to New York City, The Netherlands and beyond.