Gratitude and excitement imbue Anna Blatman´s attitude to living. Blatman is a veritable fireball of enthusiasm when she talks about the heavenly experience she has with the bold and bright colours she plasters on canvas. And, it is easy to feel the inspiration and connection she has with Australia´s outdoor environment, the flora and fauna and just her profound appreciation of natural beauty.
Born in the mid-1960s, Blatman thinks that her parents, who lived during this period of revolutionary social change, may have been the source of her ability to express on canvas her inner soul.
The sale of one painting at an exhibition in the Treasury Gardens in Melbourne was the impetus that set Blatman on the road to success. The sale, which was totally unexpected, left her shocked but pleased and excited.
“I never looked back,” she says.” In the years that followed, I entered many art shows and, when my friend and I took a stall at the Southbank Art and Craft Market, I knew I wanted to paint as my everyday job.”
Her stall attracted many admirers including overseas visitors.
“I got a buzz knowing that people were going to hang my paintings on the other side of the world and I loved knowing that a part of me was in that place that I had never had the pleasure of visiting.”
Blatman had no formal training and although she loves impressionism and vintage colours, her style is uniquely her own. Each day she experiences a different ‘vibe’ that sets in train her creative spirit.
She wants to see people revel and blossom in her artwork in the same way she does. Her altruistic nature emerges again as she talks of the therapeutic benefits that her work can have for people who suffer from depression or other forms of mental and emotional illness.
“Colour makes people feel happy. I would like to know that people can lose themselves in my art and be in a good place just as I am. I get a great sense of purpose knowing that someone is feeling happy because of a painting I did.”
The joy Blatman experiences from living and life in general virtually leaps off the canvas. Initially, she was a prolific painter of potted flowers, but then came landscapes, beachscapes, country houses and animals. Some 20 years later, out of the blue, came an inspiration to paint geishas.
“I love these elegant ladies and paint their kimonos in any colour combo and pattern,” she says.
Blatman, who has two children, is grateful to her family whom she says have inspired her work. And in her simple manner she adds that the tree-lined street where she lives and the nearby Botanical Gardens, where she goes to meditate, also provide her with inspiration.
Children respond to her child-like strokes. One time a 7-year-old from New York reproduced one of her paintings and posted on line how much she loved Anna´s work.
“That´s when I knew that I had completely fulfilled my dreams,” says Blatman, who loves to work with children.
Never waver from the belief that you can succeed, she advises other women. It´s important to choose a path in life one is happy is with and then stick to it with determination.
“I just kept painting until I was really good at it and then I was noticed. I never saw myself as being talented. When you do something that you love you will feel good about yourself and when you face a challenge, you have something to go to. It is important not to rely on people to make you happy because people can let you down.”
When facing challenges, she focuses on her painting immersing herself among the colours entering into a state of peaceful meditation.
Blatman’s work is her ‘rock’ guiding her through moments of tragedy as well happiness. It is a reflection of my life up to the present moment but, she adds, my life is only just beginning.
In 2018 she was approached by Koh Living that was keen to work with her to create a new line of sustainable products. Creating designs for Koh´s Australiana Collection was a very exciting and new challenge, she says. She worked closely with Koh´s directors, Tui Cordemans and Nyree Hibberd, and was impressed at the level of support and respect they showed her and her work.
“It also makes me very happy that part of the proceeds from each sale will go towards The Smith Family to help disadvantaged Australian children through education. Children’s charities are very special to me and I´m always read to give support when needed,” Blatman says.
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