March 3 – April 23, 2022
ArtXchange Gallery presents Caryn Friedlander’s latest solo exhibition, Make of Yourself a Light. This
new series of luminous oil paintings on linen draws visual inspiration from the moods and seasonal
cycles of a spring-fed lake. These gestural abstractions invite the viewer to find solace in the color,
texture, and emotion of nature.
The title of the exhibition references the last words of the historical Buddha, which have been a guiding
principle in the artist’s life, especially during these challenging times. Throughout the pandemic,
Friedlander’s weekly walks around a single lake revealed to her its many moods, from brilliant summer
days to drenching winter rains. “It has kept me whole, and keeps me sane“, Friedlander writes. “The
certitude of the cycle of life and death that nature mirrors brought me a kind of hope and resilience that
was hard to find elsewhere”.
Friedlander applies the oil paint in thin layers, building up color, structure, and texture to find direction
as each painting develops. Her training in East Asian art history and time spent living in Japan informs
her work in both technique and process. She uses small brushes to build a painting from a multitude of
brushstrokes, which slows her work so she has time to observe a painting’s development. “I think
resolution is a beautiful mystery. It is very humbling that I’m not completely in control” says Friedlander.
Through the artist’s skilled command of oil painting techniques, and patient, contemplative approach,
small moments become powerful abstractions encompassing macro and microcosms of nature. The
exhibition creates a multi-dimensional portrait capturing a physical place, a period of time, and a feeling
of exploration, refuge and solace.
Born in New York City, Friedlander earned a master’s degree in East Asian art history (University of
Washington, 1987), and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing (University of Washington,
1991). She lived in Seattle, the Aleutian Islands, and in Japan as a Monbusho Fellow, before settling in
Bellingham, Washington. Friedlander’s work is included in a number of private and public collections,
including The New York Public Library, Swedish Hospital, Washington State University, Vulcan
Foundation, Whatcom Museum and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
“This show is dedicated to Michael Spafford. He was a great artist, mentor, and friend. He was a model of what any upright human being could aspire to; generous, compassionate, creative, and kind. Along with many, many people in our community, I mourn his passing and celebrate his life.”
Caryn Friedlander
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