Fred Friedrich displays in his work a characteristic bold, abstract style which immediately captures the attention, and which owes some of its tremendous power to the artist’s experience as an architect. His powerful paintings bear the traces of acrylic paints pooling and running off the canvas in thick streaks, the result of his controlled but emphatic movements as he works, and very thin, delicate lines that evoke illustration. By allowing his works to emerge from a kind of controlled randomness, Friedrich achieves an immensely effective layering effect that at times approaches figuration. Faces and silhouettes begin to emerge as if from Rorschach test inkblots, something they do overtly in his more representational sculptures.
What is perhaps most impressive is Friedrich’s ability to wrest from this very fluid process images that seem so carefully and impressively composed. From the interplay of jet-black tones against bright hues in compounding shades, to the increasingly fine rivulets of paint stretched across his canvases, there is both incredible subtlety and aesthetic might to each piece, reflecting his empathetic concern for individuals and his determination to promote creativity in the world. Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC27MpGc0x0&feature=youtu.be to view a video about the artist