Strings

Reynolds Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of Strings, an exhibition of David Freed’s watercolor and mixed media works on paper. The exhibition opens with a reception for the artist on Friday, May 4 from 7 – 9 pm and continues through June 29, 2018.
The exhibition title, Strings, signifies Freed’s exploration of the word “string” as a line, thread, instrument, collection of beads or crimes, or kind of particle theory. It transcends a simple definition, engaging architecture, music, science, and art, a concept which Freed emphasizes in his mark making as one line extends into many marks, a shape, a form, a season. Unlike his earlier works on delicate Italian and Japanese papers, in Strings, Freed adapts his practice to using a new, more durable paper called Khadi. The handmade Indian paper withstands the physicality of Freed’s process, as he layers etching, relief, woodcut, watercolor, pastel, and collage. These expressive, experimental gestures not only instill a palpable energy in the work, but also convey Freed’s exploration in color. Sharp reddish marks mingle alongside watery earth tones as loose, natural forms emerge.
Although bluntly saturated, these compositions radiate a subtlety and sincerity as Freed captures sweeping breezes and transitioning weather. His subject matter traverses the east coast landscape, stemming from his travels throughout Virginia, Maine, and The Dominican Republic. By directly observing nature, his marks serve as an immediate response to nature’s unpredictability and imperfections. In this exhibition, Freed composes both large, rectangular mixed media etchings alongside small scale studies, adapting a dynamic perspective which reflects an intimate link to his subject.
David Freed’s career as an artist spans over fifty years. In 1966, he started the printmaking department at Virginia Commonwealth University (at the time, Richmond Professional Institute), an essential addition to the school’s art program. He is also a Professor Emeritus of VCU. He received his BFA from Miami University of Ohio and his MFA from the University of Iowa. As a graduate student, he studied with the legendary printmaker Mauricio Lasansky. Freed has been awarded numerous grants and prizes over his career, including the Fulbright Grant (1963-64), the World Print Competition (1977), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship (1983-84), the Theresa Pollak Prize for Excellence in the Arts (2001), and the VCU Award of Distinction from the Southern Graphic Council (2009). Freed’s work has been exhibited widely at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond; the Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio; Corcoran Gallery, Washington, DC; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California; High Museum, Atlanta, Georgia; and the Whitney Museum, New York, New York. In addition, Freed’s work is in the collections of the Albertina Museum, Austria; Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois; Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Museum of Art, both, Washington, DC; Mint Museum of Charlotte, North Carolina; Museum of Modern Art and the New York Public Library, both, New York; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania; Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; San Francisco Museum of Art, California; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Markel Corporation, both, Richmond, Virginia.