Merry Holidays!

Just wanted to wish all of you a wonderful holiday. 

May your Chanukah candles burn bright, 

your Christmas tree twinkle and 

may you not explode from eating too many latkes!

Holiday Show Filled With Delights

Visitors at the holiday show and sale were able to enjoy an array of delights. There was handmade jewelry made with "millefiore" beads and hand coiled wire, as well as handpainted pins. Sharing the table with the jewelry are notecards with my most favorite images and unique, original collages made with hand painted papers.

There was lots of new artwork to see, all beautifully framed and displayed in my home setting. Guests came from as far as Maryland to see the work. Plus it was an opportunity to see the new series "Magical Minis." One of the pieces purchased from that series appears here: EXOTIC.

MAGICAL MINIS -- NEW SERIES

A new series, entitled MAGICAL MINIS is being launched at Artist Karen Friedland's Art Show & Sale this weekend. The series, glamorous and edgy, is created from a mix of media: watercolor, acrylic, ink, marker and rice papers collaged together for fascinating results. The work has been tastefully framed in silver and black to produce a stunning package, ready to enhance any space. Most appealling is the price: under $100! See these new works, including "ENTICE" above, Saturday and Sunday, 1-5PM at 190 Marlborough Road, Brooklyn, NY.

ART SHOW & SALE THIS WEEKEND

You are cordially invited to an

ART SHOW & SALE

at the home studio of

Artist Karen Friedland

190 Marlborough Road, Brooklyn
(Q train, Beverly Road station)

on this
Saturday and Sunday,
December 13th & 14th 1-5 PM

Special Holiday Pricing
Original paintings, prints, collages, giclee prints, notecards, jewelry ---

all at greatly reduced prices up to 60% off!

Refreshments Bring Your Friends

Can't make it? Chesk out the website at www.ArtistKaren.com or
telephone: 718-826-1261

Artist Karen Friedland Exhibit At Connecticut Muffin ---- Meet The Artist Friday, 7 - 9PM

An exhibit of my art work has been installed at Connecticut Muffin. The show, entitled "The Moroccan Way" consists of work inspired by my travels through Morocco. The colors and designs of this rich and ancient culture provided stimulus for the imagery.

Several of the pieces depict the Jardin Majorelle, a lush garden environment built by designer, Yves St. Laurant, in Marrakesh. Other imagery includes a tannery where hides were "processed", a rug shop and a water seller, whose colorful attire and brass cups might entice you, but with dire consequences if you drank. Paintings are rendered in pastel and mixed media and two transfer prints.

There will be a "Meet The Artist" reception this Friday, October 10th, 2008 from 7 to 9PM. The show will run through October 27th. Connecticut Muffin is located on Cortelyou Road, by Stratford Road.

Painting at right: "Musicians - Morocco" one of the pieces at the Connecticut Muffin exhibit.

Hope to see you there on Friday. What do you think of this theme?

LIZARD

LIZARD

14" high x 10" wide
acrylic on canvas

It was a pitch black night as the clouds furrowed the sky, concealing any stars or moon that was above, even though it was supposed to be a full moon tonight. I sat a the edge of my porch, on the top step, letting the dark envelop me, trying to calm myself and understand what had happened today.

It started like any other day, my going to work and sitting down behind my computer. But when I went to boot up, I got a message that I was not authorized on this computer. I tried to reach technical support but my phone was not working. As I sat there trying to figure out what was going on, two uniformed men, mammoth humans really, with muscles straining against their shirts, entered my cubicle and fairly picked me up by both arms and "escorted" me out of the building. They deposited me soundly on the sidewalk, never saying a word nor responding to my shouted questions or giving any explanation, bruising my hip when they dropped me. Of course, my ego was even more bruised. I was mortified as onlookers shook their heads or whispered behind cupped hands. I spent the day wandering the streets, dazed.

So the dark felt good as it wrapped its ghostly arms around me. Then, out of nowhere, appeared on my railing, a lizard. It was big, tremendous, the size of a house cat. And it was of the most remarkable colors---green, yes, but an electric green that vibrated next to red and blue, and so many colors. But most compelling was its eyes as he engaged me, I couldn't look away. As I gazed at him, a voice said "Come." I looked around then, as the lizard had not moved and my mind could not fathom that this creature could speak. But no one was there except us two. My voice squeaked "What?".  I heard the word "Come" again but this time I realized it had not been spoken out loud, but rather in my mind. The lizard jumped down. I followed.

GROWTH by Karen Friedland

"GROWTH " 10" high x 8" wide

acrylic on canvas

The world was depicted in shades of grey now. My eyes can see nuances, lighter and darker but nothing resembling what colors I see in my memory.  I remember gazing at a blue sky, so beautiful and clear, an umbrella above me that was so often there, I didn't need to give it much thought.  The white clouds light and fluffy looking, ephemeral like illusive fibers that would dissipate between my fingers if I ever had the opportunity to try to grasp them.  The earth that I lay on was a soft cushion of green blades padding me from the hard, red clay earth in the layer below.  Gentle breezes caressed my skin and brought fresh, mild fragrances of plants and flowers, creatures and earth.  My home was a verdant place, alive with growth and decomposition, making room for new life coming.

Now there is mostly decay.  Charred ruins and decimated landscape fill my vision.  Debris is the new terrain, making it treacherous to walk, no street, no earth, no color...

But wait, through the blackness below my feet, I spy an anomaly.  Something that doesn't fit in is peeking up from under a piece of jagged cement.  I can hardly believe  and I bend low to see because it is quite small.  It staggers me with it's intensity and brightness.  I put my face very close to it because it is quite small, tiny even.  I let it fill my vision until it is all I see.  This is it...GROWTH.

Flatbush Frolic

This Sunday (day after tomorrow) I will be participating in the Flatbush Frolic, a street fair that is held on Cortelyou Road from Coney Island Avenue to E. 16th St.  I'll have some artwork, framed prints, notecards and jewelry for sale.  I'll also be making appointments for people to visit my studio.  Hope to see you there.

9/11 and the future

Today we remember a day that tore a hole in the hearts of New Yorkers and put a massive fissure in all Americans' sense of security. While I thankfully knew no one who is gone as a result of that attack, it will live within me forever. I didn't want to watch the memorial ceremonies, but I am compelled to hear the names, look at their pictures and try to imagine their lives. It is to honor their lives; I do the same with our fallen soldiers. In both cases, the deaths are senseless. I am surprised that I am still weeping at the memories of these people. My love and empathy go out to their families who have bravely gone on and rebuilt their lives.

I only wish the powers that be would let us go on by rebuilding in the site of the towers. We need to have something concrete that speaks to the future rather than a literal hole to remind us of the emptiness. And we need a proper memorial for all the families and all the citizens of the world to remember, pay tribute and heal. Let's hope they make it happen soon.

Planned WTC 2012.

ART IN FREE FALL

Come and visit my work this weekend at the opening of BWAC's Art In Free Fall Show at the Beard Street Pier in Red Hook, Brooklyn, 499 Van Brunt St. Art In Free Fall is open weekends, Spetember 13th - October 26th. I will be there later Saturday afternoon (I have to work in the Bronx earlier). Come visit me at panel #254 on the second floor. If I'm not there when you come, please say hi by signing my guestbook, hung to the side of the panel, so I'll know you've been there. Tell me what you think of the work.

A Parisienne Cafe

CAFE 2
acrylic on paper
14" x 10"
$525-

Who wouldn't like to be sitting at a Cafe in Paris, perhaps on the Champs Elysees, Paris' most famous boulevard, by the Arc de Triomphe, having an expresso while watching the Paris parade go by? My elegant lady here, comes from another era, when women dressed regardless of where they were going, because you never knew who you were going to see, or more importantly, who was going to see you. The etched glass behind her and the small tables and wicker chairs tell you definitively that you are in Paris.

This painting happily pairs with CAFE 1 (three entries earlier) and together will add Parisienne charm to any room.

In A Red, Red Room

RED WALL
monotype
11" x 14"

This piece was the product of an off press printmaking technique. I drew out the design beforehand and used my drawing as a template to paint the whole image, in printmaking ink, directly onto the plexiglass plate. When this was done, I let it dry completely. In the meantime, I soaked a sheet of paper in water. I placed the paper over the painted plate and put the whole sandwich between two sheets of plywood.

Now it was time for me to put on the music and get on my feet---on top of the print and wood! I danced and rocked out for a while until I felt sure the print had transfered. It took a number of tries to get it to work right, but finally I was able to pull this lively, one of a kind print.

This piece is obviously part of my Chair Series and this charming interior is found nowhere but in my imagination and on this monotype print.

Just a reminder for those of you in the New York area, this weekend is your last chance to see the BWAC show, HOT! I have three pieces on display, look for my panel on the second floor, that are landscapes from New Mexico. This may be the last time this work is seen as it was damaged when there was fire in the building right before the show opened. When I get the work back, I'll be better able to ascertain if the damage is reparable. Meanwhile, this may be their last presentation ever. The show is Saturday & Sunday, 12-6PM, at the Beard Street Pier in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Cafe Sitting

Sitting in a cafe and wiling away the hours, is a skill most Americans don't have but has been practiced by Europeans for ages. This, of course, makes us all the more interested. How do they have time to take from their everyday lives to just sit and watch the passing parade? When would a New Yorker ever fit that in between running for the subway and getting to the gym? So I portrayed my fascination in a pair of paintings, the first of which is here, Cafe 1, watercolor, 14"h x 10"w, $525-.

My lady friend is deep in thought as she sips her glass of wine in a Paris cafe. Her elegant apparel tells us she is from a different time when women dressed for their afternoon outings, prepared to be seen by the world.

Spanish Street Scenes

One of the great features of walking Las Ramblas in Barcelona are the street performers. More often than not, their performance is their costume and their presence---they make an artform out of living statuary. The costumes and make up may be charming or outrageous. They stand stock still until you make a monetary deposit and then the character comes to life, striking a pose with the generous tourist.

While I always try to introduce a new work of art here, my photography has been my artform for the last several days.

After spending all night and part of a day to get here, we received the hospitality of our good friend, Rene, and, in absentia, his lovely wife, Sylvia. Having their well located home as our base of operations has made getting around this personable city even easier.

Strolling down Las Ramblas, the main walking thoroughfare, you pass fabulous and decorative architecture like this. Las Ramblas is lined with cafes, flower and pet markets, as well as a food marketplace where the displays are feasts in themselves.You find art everywhere you look in Barcelona, in the achitecture and on the architecture. A work of art that is filled with works of art everywhere.

New Mexico Dreaming

Right now the heat in New Mexico is blistering. The long road I drove with my friend, Alice, from southern New Mexico to Albuqueque and on to check out the art meccas of Santa Fe and Taos, is now baked as you drive so fast your tires won't melt onto the macadum. The rising heat vibrates as your long view takes in the narrow stripe that leads you across the state, interrupted only by tossing tumbleweed.

We saw a lot of beauty that trip both in the stark, red vista of the desert and in the galleries and marketplaces filled with the creativity of artists from across the country. But for natural beauty, the place we started out, Alamagordo, trumps them all. The mountains easily reached heights only imagined back East and we had two glorious days painting the mountain forests on location.

This painting, New Mexican Landscape I, is on exhibit at the BWAC show HOT! which opens this Saturday, at the Red Hook Pier, Brooklyn, NY. Pastel, 14" x 11" (20" x 16" framed), $525.

Golden Pine

It conjures up cool, mountain breezes, the refreshing air of Autumn, a great relief from the stifling New York humidity. The painting, "Golden Pine" was painted on location in southern New Mexico, near a town called Alamagordo (I love to say that name.) I worked at an easel with pastels, gazing at a mountainside filled with trees that had already kissed summer good bye, their predominantly yellow leaves encompassing my view. While I invented the colors in my painting, they were all there under the surface, if you just looked a little closer. But I had to give tribute to their golden color, hence my solitary yellow pine. Because it is alone, it draws your eye, contrasting with the violet-hued hillside.

This piece is on display at the BWAC Summer Show - HOT! -at the Red Hook Pier in Brooklyn, weekends from July 26 - August 17 (see previous post). It won an award at the Pastel Society of Oregon 10th National Juried Show. Pastel, 25" x 19"unframed, $1,350, matted and framed.

Jul 26 - Aug 17 Summer Show - Hot! - Red Hook Pier

If you haven't had the pleasure of taking a trip to Red Hook, Brooklyn, or even if you have, weekends between July 26th and August 17th will be the place to be to see what's happening in the New York art world. Over 200 artists from around the city will be showing their work in the historic pier space. While you're enjoying views of the Statue of Liberty & NY harbor, you can have lunch at Fairways, visit the new Ikea or explore this fun neighborhood. Look for 2 panels from me, one featuring pastel landscapes and the other my original collages. What do you think of Red Hook?

Art Show Closing Party Tonight

Dear Friends--

Please join me this evening
Saturday, June 28th
for the closing party of my group show,
BWAC @ Clinton Hill Art Gallery

The gallery is located at
154a Vanderbilt Avenue
Brooklyn
718-852-0227

7 - 10 PM

Hope to see you there,
Karen

Diligent Work

Just about the time FAST went into high gear, I received the opportunity to go into a middle school and teach a residency. The school, MS 223, is in the South Bronx. I had 8 sessions to give 3 sixth grade classes a grounding in art skills and the focus to make some great art.

Being a teaching artist is always an adventure. I deal with the unknown: the students, classes and administration in each site, have their own special take on things. In this school, they were all responsive and we took the adventure together. Many of the students had little or no art in their background, so I began with basics. Since our time was so compressed, we quickly progressed & got to work on our major project.

Having studied ancient civilizations during the year, I decided we would use Greek vases as the format. With the Olympics coming up this summer, the project became Olympic Amphora.

I will tell more about it in the next entry, but here are some photos of diligent workers and their creations.

WOMAN ENTWINED

"Woman Entwined" Acrylic on hardboard 24"high x 36"wide






This piece is part of my "Nude" series. What started out as a straight nude painting, evolved with greater complexity as she began to sprout branches and leaves. Her body and the tree forms merged as they wove in and out of one another. This painting is a commentary on the conditions of women's lives, rooted and tangled in the many branches of our lives.

Studio Tour Weekend Finally Arrives

June 7 & 8

It took a while to get my house all ready for the tour. Because I was sharing with 3 other artists, I had a lot of work to do to accommodate them. Selma Cooper was on the porch with pastels, Keren Moskovitch was in the front parlor with her c-print photos, Brenda Becker in the dining room with handmade books & I was in the livingroom. Lots of cleaning, hanging, moving furniture and taking down artwork (to make room for others’ work) to turn this into four galleries. It looked fabulous (if I do say so myself)!

The weekend was blistering hot – 96 degrees & humid—breaking all records (who said there’s no global warming?). We were afraid no one would come. But art lovers seem to be a stalwart group and shortly after noon on Satuday, people started trickling in. By the end of the day, about 80 people had signed our book.

Sunday was even hotter & Selma came inside, off the porch, into the a/c. The Victorian House Tour ran simultaneously but it was hard to tell if we got any people from there. But come they did! Individuals and groups—at times, we were mobbed! People loved the art & seeing it in this home environment. But many did not seem to realize that it was for sale, so sales were light.

It was wonderful to have all these people share our work and by the end of Sunday, apx. 200 had come through to look. We all agreed it was a great success and we’re already making plans for next year. Thank you to all my guests for sharing your weekend with us. What did you think of the tour and how can we improve for next year?

Photos: large at top: Karen, Brenda, Selma, Keren--the four artists at my house. Smaller photos: guests looking at artwork during studio tour.

FAST Group Show

June 5, 2008

Tonight was the opening reception for the Flastbush Artists Studio Tour Group Show. Housed at two local cafes- Connecticut Muffin and Vox Pop- the beautifully hung Group Show debuted to a responsive crowd. Neighbors, friends and family members joined the artists to revel in the beauty of their collective work. Each of
the artists
participating in the tour this weekend has a representative piece in the show, allowing visitors the chance to preview the artists' work and determine whose studio they wanted to make sure they didn't miss.

A highlight of the evening was the arrival of Jamila Josephs, from Borough President Marty Markowitz's office, who came as Marty's representative. She brought a proclamation from Marty proclaiming the day for Flatbush Artists Studio Tour and presented it to me at Vox Pop.

Flatbush Artists

Press Release

Contact: Karen Friedland Brenda L. Becker
brendabecker@optonline.net
ArtistKaren@mac.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Flatbush Artists Studio Tour Debuts June 7-8, 2008

First major open-studio event in ‘Victorian Flatbush’ neighborhood;
Public to be welcomed by 27 artists on self-guided tour


Brooklyn, NY, May 20, 2008 -- The visual artists of Flatbush will open their
studios to the public in a weekend-long self-guided art tour throughout the
historic Victorian neighborhood. The first annual Flatbush Artists Studio Tour
(FAST) will take place Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8, from 12 to 5 p.m.
Tour maps may be downloaded and printed at www.flatbushartists.org, or picked
up at many local merchants. Admission to the tour is free.

The artists represented on the tour include painters, sculptors, printmakers,
jewelry makers, mosaic artists, and book artists. “We’re all familiar with the
creative life of areas like Williamsburg and Gowanus,” said tour organizer and
painter Karen Friedland. “Now art lovers can add the beautiful streets of Victorian
Flatbush to the vibrant artistic map of Brooklyn, and meet the artists who work in
one of the city’s most diverse communities.”

In addition, a group show of local artists will take place from June 5 - July 2 at
two lively cafés in the heart of the area: Vox Pop and Connecticut Muffin (1022
and 1106 Cortelyou Road), giving tour-goers an opportunity to preview the works
of all the participating artists on the tour. An opening reception for the group
show will take place on June 5, from 7 to 10 p.m.

The Flatbush Artists Studio Tour, presented in cooperation with the Brooklyn
Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC), will take place the same weekend as the
popular Victorian Flatbush House Tour. The studio tour is a separate and
unrelated event with free admission, and will offer both old-house fanciers and art
lovers yet another reason to explore the leafy streets of the area, with its broad
lawns, spacious front porches, and fanciful architecture, on the weekend of June
7-8.

“This event has prompted an outpouring of community support, for which we’re
very grateful,” said Ms. Friedland. Studio tour sponsors include Brooklyn Borough
President Marty Markowitz and two dozen local businesses.

Getting to Victorian Flatbush
The “Victorian Flatbush” area includes the landmarked historic districts of
Prospect Park South and Ditmas Park along with Midwood, Beverley Square
West and East, and Fiske Terrace-Midwood Park.
Visitors may start the free tour anywhere on the self-guided neighborhood map
available at www.flatbushartists.org or at local shops. The closest subway stops
to the tour area are the Q train to the Beverly Road, Cortelyou Road, or Newkirk
Avenue stations (see the map for station locations). In addition, the neighborhood
is served by the B68, B16, B35, and several other buses. Details and driving
directions are also available on the FAST website.

Go West, Young Woman

9 June 2008

Last weekend, we went out West to attend the annual booksellers convention, Book Expo America, held this year in Los Angeles. My husband, Gary, is a book publisher. You can see him here with his latest book, The Merck Manual for Pet Health. A great book, it is invaluable for anyone who loves a pet.

Before going to LA, we visited the ranch of his spokesperson, Joan Embrey and her husband, Dwayne, in San Diego. It’s a fabulous ranch with horses, chickens, stables and barns. But there’s an African twist here. Joan & Dwayne have exotic animals—it’s like they have the beginnings of their own zoo! She has wonderful birds and snakes, frogs, hedgehogs & an armadillo. Fearsome cheetahs made it clear they are wild animals, while the sloth hung out beside the kinetic lemur. But my favorite was the aardvark! He didn’t look one bit like Arthur of book fame and is so benign that they sometimes take him for a walk on a leash. I think having this close experience with the animals will help them find a way into my artwork.

I already paint a lot of elephants. My most recent is here, entitled “Two For The Road”. I was going to call it two tushies, but decided that didn’t sound professional enough. I just loved this backview and the companionship, parent and child.