International - Susan Blackwood and Howard Friedland

As seen in the
November 2009 issue of
AM
MERICAN
COLLECTOR
SHOW LOCATION CHESTER, NJ
UPCOMING SHOW
Up to 20 works on show
November 7-29, 2009
Highlands Art Gallery
Chester Village Square
54 Main Street, Suite 3
Chester, NJ 07930
(908) 879-1610
HOWARD FRIEDLAND
International flavor
L
ike a novice juggler, artist Howard
Friedland began painting only able
to juggle a few balls. The more
he developed his craft, the more balls he
could toss into the air. Now, a veteran
award-winning artist, Friedland is able to
juggle multiple balls under and over limbs.
With each new body of work he continues
to develop his skill level of “finish.”
“Each artist must decide what ‘finish’
means to them. When you first start
painting you can take it to a certain level.
The more you paint, the more ‘finish’
you’re able to express,” says Friedland,
a Signature Member of Oil Painters of
America and co-founder of Montana
Painters Alliance. “Painting is always
like a juggling act, it’s never a pat thing.
It’s always a challenge. I’m always trying
to push the envelope and trying to reach
the next level of ability without having
balls come crashing down.”
Highlands Art Gallery will present
a solo show of Friedland’s new paintings
November 7 through 29. He will be
present during a reception November 7
from 1 to 6 p.m. and will be painting
The Way it Was, oil on linen, 11 x 14"
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Lake Como Villa, oil on linen, 12 x 16"
The Collector Says . . .
“Being a plein air
impressionist, I love to collect
paintings that are fresh and
alive. Howard Friedland is
such a painter. His moving
canvases are filled with
luscious paint, strokes of
living color and brilliant
composition of light. You
need only look once to be
convinced that you have seen
the hand of a Master painter.”
— Ramona Dooley
Sunlit Swan, oil on linen, 10 x 12"
135
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10/7/09 11:40:22 AM
informally as time allows. Also
in Chester will be artist Susan
Blackwood, Friedland’s wife, who
will be conducting a three-day
workshop on painting dogs and cats
in oil November 6 through 8.
Friedland sees each new painting
as an opportunity to take his skills
to the next level and use that
technique to better express himself.
In this eclectic grouping he focuses
on scenes of New Jersey and New
England, as well as a few European
and Montana locales coupled with
floral still lifes.
“I like variety and we do a lot
of traveling, and I find interesting
things wherever we are. The scenes
are of places I’ve been or places I find
beautiful or interesting in some way
that I want to share,” says Friedland.
One such trek led Friedland and
his wife to Lake Como in Italy, where
the artist quickly found himself
captivated by this jewel-like oasis of
tranquility, a magical combination
of lush Mediterranean foliage and
snowy alpine peaks.
“I found it a beautiful and
exciting place…the colors and shapes
and light. It was extraordinary,” says
Friedland, “how the mountains
come out from the water and villas
plug the side of the mountains. It
was visually exciting to me.”
His solid draftsmanship and
experience painting mountains in
Montana is evidenced in the piece
titled Lake Como Villa as seen from
a boat out in the lake.
“I got to marry the mountains
with the European setting,” says
Friedland. “This one seemed to flow,
it wasn’t one I had to work and rework.
It’s a pleasure when a painting evolves
naturally. The colors are rich and deep
but not necessarily all bright. I like the
play of light, shadow and big shapes
and paint handling. The variety of
brushstrokes and the imagery is really
strong as far as composition.”
Between the Seasons, oil on linen, 16 x 20"
Bucks County Bridge,
oil on linen, 12 x 16"
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Fall at the Cooper Mill, oil on linen, 10 x 12"
Friedland conveys a different mood in
the painting The Way it Was in which
he depicts a charming horse-drawn
carriage coming down a cobblestone
street in France.
“I was trying to capture the feeling
of timelessness with the juxtaposition of
horse and cars behind it,” he says.
Friedland’s loose impressionistic style
and love of oil paint interplay seamlessly,
creating a sense of reality without losing
the charm of the medium, attributes he
hopes collectors appreciate in the work.
“It’s recognizable imagery yet it’s
done in a way that honors the properties
of the medium. An accurate drawing is
something I’m a stickler for,” he says.
“Overall, I’m going for a feeling that
comes back and creates a spark in the
viewer’s soul.”
Fo r a d i r e c t l i n k t o t h e
exhibiting gallery go to
w w w. a m e r i c a n a r t c o l l e c t o r. c o m
Price Range Indicator
Our at-a-glance Price Range Indicator
shows what you can expect to pay for this
artist’s work.
2001
2009
Small
$550
$800
Medium
$1,800
$2,900
Large
$3,000
$11,000
The Gallery Says . . .
“Howard Friedland paints from
instinct with the freedom to be
bold, spontaneous and untamed.
His impressionistic pieces are
alive with texture, color and
feeling, regardless of the subject
matter. It is fascinating to watch
people get lost in his paintings.”
— Cheryl Macdowall, Gallery
Director, Highlands Art Gallery
137
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