Offset Sheffield - Saturday 22nd October 2016 - Florence Blanchard

Florence Blanchard is a visual artist, painter, screen-printer and curator. Trained as a scientist with a pHd in Biology, inspiration for Blanchard's work comes from microbiology, molecules and cell membranes. She combines her science background with art to create large murals using contrasting, bold and abstract colours. Illustrations are typically produced using circle paper as if looking through a microscope or into a petri dish. Her love for painting was developed through graffiti. This background in graffiti still informs a lot of what she does, typically painting murals within industrial spaces or warehouses, such as a burnt down recycling facility, to change people's perception of them. For example, one project of hers was a mural in Hokkaido, Japan on an old building which was set to be demolished. This mural changed people's perceptions of the building and as a result, plans to demolish the building were set aside, showing how Blanchard's work has a heavy impact on such environments.