By Jonathan Burger, Craven Arts Council & Gallery, Inc.
Where are you from and how did you end up in eastern North Carolina?
I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA and I ended up in NC, after many stops along the way, because I married a Marine. I always say that I am not sure if I married a Marine because I love the water or I love the water because I married a Marine. Either way, I am sure there is a connection.
Do you have any formal training, or are you self-taught, or a combination of both?
The short answer is a combination of both. I do have a fine arts degree from Temple University’s Tyler school of art. However, the learning is an ongoing and daily process.
Does your work have a central theme, or several themes?
My central themes are composition, shapes, movement, light and texture. I work through all of these themes in each piece that I create, regardless of the subject.
You work in both realism and abstract, what is different about working in these those styles, and what is the same?
There are similarities in that they all require a strong composition. From there we are back to these central themes of composition, shapes, movement, light and texture. The biggest difference is that in the realism, I lean more heavily on defining the light. The light describes the form. In the abstracts, I lean more heavily on the shape, movement, variation of values and an abundance of texture.
You have worked as a medical illustrator, what relationship do you see between your work in that field and your current work as an artist?
I delight in the details! What made me suited to be a medical illustrator is the same thing that drives me in my still life paintings: I LOVE the details.
Do you have another artist who work you admire, or inspires you?
I have always adored the work of Daniel Greene. I also have tremendous respect for the work of Lyn Diefenbach and Laura Pollak. I am inspired by the richness and clarity of the work of each of these artists.
What advice do you have for artists just starting out, or people wanting to get into art?
My advice would be patience and personal kindness. I had a teacher tell me years ago that an artist had to get past the first 500 bad works of art. One has to be both gentle with oneself and diligent.
What piece, award, or exhibition are you particularly proud of, and why?
I have been working a very long time to achieve signature status in a few prestigious organizations. I am immensely proud to have earned Signature status with the American Pastel Society, The Pastel Society of West Coast, The American Women Artist and Master Circle status with the International Association of Pastel Societies.
In one sentence, what is art to you?
Artists just need to create stuff. Therefore, art is creation.
I know you’ll be having an exhibition in the Main Gallery at Bank of the Arts for February, but where else can people find you work?
You can find my work at New Elements Gallery in Wilmington, At Centerpiece Gallery in Raleigh and Mattie King Davis Gallery in Beaufort. All in North Carolina.
Not to mention that I have a website bfreedfinearts.com I also have Facebook and Instagram accounts.