Karen Freedman
Artist Statement
Qualia, a term used in philosophy, refers to the subjective or qualitative properties of experiences. In other words, qualia are the attributes of something—its feel or appearance rather than the thing itself.
My series, Qualia, is rooted in that ideology—an acknowledgement that no two people will experience my paintings in the same way. It is also a continuation of my exploration of visual perception and cognition through the interaction of color within the confines of symmetrical patterning.
Color is not static. Its appearance is modified by its relationship to other colors. I use that effect to challenge the predictability inherent in patterns through the juxtaposition and modulation of value and hue. The objective term for this effect is simultaneous contrast; the subjective phenomenon is qualia.
Artist Bio
Karen Freedman is recognized for her vibrant abstract geometric paintings that explore the interaction of color and its ability to alter perception. She began her formal art training studying jewelry design at the Philadelphia College of Art and graphic design at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. She then went on to build a successful graphic design business followed by her immersion in the fine arts.
Freedman has exhibited both locally and nationally at venues that include the Cape Cod Museum of Art; Endicott College, Beverly Massachusetts; Hunterdon Art Museum, Clinton, New Jersey; The Gallery at Penn State Great Valley; The State Museum of Pennsylvania; Art Center Sarasota; Kimball Art Center, Park City, Utah; and the George Segal Gallery, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey. Her paintings are part of the permanent collections at Temple University’s Howard Gittis Student Center and Park Towne Place, Philadelphia. Freedman’s work is featured in the books Encaustic With a Textile Sensibility by Daniella Woolf, Encaustic Art (Art of the Century) by Jennifer Margell, and Encaustic Art in the Twenty-First Century by Anne Lee & E. Ashley Rooney, as well as numerous exhibition catalogs.
Selected Exhibitions
2019
Momentum, Space ANNEX, Denver, CO
2018
Geometry in Color, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA
2018 Juried Show, Abington Art Center, Abington, PA
Organic to Geometric, Investigations in Structure and Surface, Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Provincetown, MA
2017
Depth Perception, Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, MA
Cerulean Arts Invitational, Cerulean Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2016
The Best of 2016, Space Gallery, Denver, CO
“Encaustic Art in the Twenty-first Century” Book Signing and Group Exhibition,Galer Estate Vineyard & Winery, Kennett Square, PA
2015
MathThematic: a fine art exhibition, Esther Klein Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Patterns, The Art Trust at Meridian Bank, West Chester, PA
Group Exhibit, Schoolhouse Gallery, Cape Cod, MA
Minimal/Maximum, Ninth International Encaustic Conference, Truro Center for the Arts, Cape Cod, MA
Pattern: Organic – Geometric, Space Gallery, Denver, CO
Organic to Geometric: Investigations in Structure and Surface, Endicott College, Beverly MA
2014
RSVP 2014, LG Tripp Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Swept Away: Translucence, Transparence, Transcendence in Contemporary Encaustic, Hunterdon Art Museum, Clinton, NJ
2013
Obscure/Reveal, James Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
Reverberance, Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Cumulative Force, The Gallery at R&F, Kingston, NY
Symmetry, Joseph & Marilyn Henry Gallery, Penn State Great Valley, Malvern PA
2012
Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2012, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
2012 Muse Invitational, Muse Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 2011
WOW!: Women & Wax, Art Center Sarasota, Sarasota, FL
Beeline, Fifth International Encaustic Conference, Kobalt Gallery, Provincetown, MA
Rhomboid Rumba, joannemattera.blogspot.com
2011
Encaustic With a Textile Sensibility, Kimball Art Center, Park City, UT
2010
Best Foot Forward, Fourth Encaustic Painting Conference at Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA
2009
Prime, James Oliver Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Artist of the Month – September, www.rfpaints.com, R&F Handmade Paints, Kingston, NY
Encaustic Works ‘09, sponsored by R&F Paints, Castle Gallery at the College of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, NY, Juror: Heather Hutchinson
Tangible Wax, Prairie State College Christopher Art Gallery, Chicago Heights, IL
Art Connections 5, George Segal Gallery, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, Juror: Patricia G. Selden
2008
Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
Carano Gallery, Inaugural Exhibition, Carano Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
On the Edge, Second National Encaustic Painting Conference at Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA
66th Annual Awards Painting Exhibit, Cheltenham Arts Center, Cheltenham, PA
2007
2nd Annual Juried Group Exhibition, Schuylkill Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Textures, Schuylkill Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2006
Absolutely Abstract Juried Exhibition, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
smARTS Juried Group Show, Philadelphia, PA
2005
The American Juried Art Salon, Dallas, TX
Artists at the Mills, Crafts for Living Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2003
63rd Annual Juried Exhibition, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Awards
Juror’s Award, Minimal/Maximum,Ninth International Encaustic Conference, Cod, MA, 2015,juror: Mike Carroll
Director’s Award, Best Foot Forward, Fourth Annual Encaustic Painting Conference at Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA, 2010, juror: Joanne Mattera
Artist of Merit, Absolutely Abstract Juried Exhibition, The Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA, 2006, juror: Moe Brooker
Publications
Organic to Geometric, Investigations in Structure and Surface, Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Provincetown, MA,exhibition catalog 2018, magcloud.com
Krysa, Danielle. “Karen Freedman”, thejealouscurator.com, January 5, 2017
Lee, Anne and Rooney, E. Ashley, Encaustic Art in the Twenty-First Century, Schiffer Publishing, 2016
Michael Paolia, “Artists Repeat Themselves in Pattern, an Elegant Group Show at Space Gallery”, Westword Arts & Culture, May 20, 2015
Pattern Geometric |Organic, exhibition catalog published by Space Gallery, Denver, CO, magcloud.com
Winiarski, Deborah, “Off the Grid…,” ProWax Journal, Issue 10, July 30, 2015
Organic to Geometric, Investigations in Structure and Surface, Endicott College, Beverly, MA, exhibition catalog 2015, magcloud.com
Swept Away: Translucence, Transparence, Transcendence in Contemporary Encaustic, Hunterdon Art Museum, exhibition catalog, magcloud.com
Studio Visit Magazine, Open Studios Press, Winter 2014, juror: Barbara O’Brien
Margell, Jennifer, Encaustic Art (Art of Century), Parkstone Press, 2013
Shaw, Kurt, “Review: James Gallery collection reveals complex works painted with wax,”Trib LIVE, December 5, 2013
Martina, J. Fatima, “Swept Away: Translucence, Transparence, Transcendence in Contemporary Encaustic”, Artscope, May – June, 2013, p. 11
Swept Away: Translucence, Transparence, Transcendence in Contemporary Encaustic, CCMoA Exhibition Catalog, 2013, magcloud.com
Belto, Michelle, In the Encaustic Studio, Advanced Mixed Media Techniques, North Light DVD, 2013
Woolf, Daniella, Encaustic With a Textile Sensibility, Waxy Buildup Press, Santa Cruz, CA, 2013
Prime, James Oliver Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, exhibition catalog, 2009
Encaustic Works ‘09, exhibition catalog, 2009
Activities
LECTURES AND TALKS
2017
Workshop Instructor — “Maintaining Your Edge: The Art of Stenciling”, Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, Truro, MA
Presenter — “Professional Practices: Six Things They Never Taught You In Art School, 11th International Encaustic Conference, Provincetown, MA
2015
Presenter — Professional Practices: Six Things They Never Taught You In Art School”, 9th International Encaustic Conference, Provincetown, MA
2009
Workshop Instructor — “Intro to Encaustic Workshop”, Philadelphia, PA
reviews
Kurt Shaw, TribLIVE (Pittsburgh Tribune), December 4, 2013 “Review: James Gallery Collection Reveals Complex Works Painted With Wax”.Click image to link to review.
J. Fatima Martins, Artscope Magazine, May/June 2013 “Swept Away: Translucence, Transparence, Transcendence in Contemporary Encaustic”, p.10-11.Click image for a PDF of the review. I am mentioned on the second page.
