Life & Work with Caitlin Blomstrom

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Blomstrom.

Hi Caitlin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.

My name is Caitlin Blomstrom and I am a painter, curator, and arts professional living in Nashville, TN. I have a BFA in Painting + Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, VA. I have held a professional practice for over 10 years and predominantly make oil paintings.

I recently moved to East Nashville to be with my partner and I am just beginning to explore the art scene here! I am originally from Hampton Roads in Southeastern, VA, and have spent most of my life in Virginia. I’ve come to Nashville by way of Brooklyn, NY where I lived for one year to attend an artist residency and to advance my career in arts administration.

We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My biggest challenges often come from within. I struggle to prioritize my work amidst holding a day job and it can be difficult for me to advocate for myself as an artist.

Sometimes it is hard to justify making art when so many issues are at play here in the US and worldwide. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to apply for more opportunities like juried shows and residencies to prioritize studio time and strengthen my identity as an artist.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Since graduating with my BFA in 2012, my professional career has been marked by eight different studio spaces in 5 different cities (not all at once), several short-term artist residencies, and numerous collaborations with friends and other artists.

As an artist, I create paintings and sculptures that exist to challenge the viewer’s perception. My work is made as a way to interpret my surroundings by creating art objects that re-contextualize everyday encounters. I am interested in investigating mundane, everyday objects and humorous, uncanny scenes that you might encounter at home or on a walk.

Currently, I am working on a group of oil paintings of “trash flowers”. The concept for this series emerged while working in an art museum years ago. I became accustomed to finding post-event floral arrangements in trash cans. After a wedding or special event, I would find the most exquisite and labor-intensive arrangements dumped into trash bins around the building. Some of these appeared perfectly preserved, still holding their original compositions while others were actively decaying.

Each encounter left me struck by the unexpected beauty and a feeling of sadness, a reminder of our inevitable mortality. Now, I notice “trash flowers” everywhere, in both public and private spaces. At their lightest, these paintings are meant to be humorous and at their heaviest, they exist to contemplate the passage of time, decay, and death.

What are your plans for the future?
I am building a body of work for a solo show in late 2023. Stay tuned!

Contact Info:

• Website: caitlinblomstrom.com
• Instagram: @blond3storm
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/caitlin-blomstrom