Betty Friedman • Artist

Artist Statement • Betty Friedman

My art communicates from inner language. What I am feeling when I make a work of art is what is important to me. My vulnerability shows, as does imperfection.

Materials I use include acrylics, pastel, clay, found objects, glue, paper, ink, and transparency film. I paint, print, manipulate and play with materials until the artwork reveals a secret that speaks to me.

I follow the tradition of abstract art that was introduced to me by my maternal grandmother, New York Greenwich Village artist “Golee” who worked in clay and gouache. As a graduate of Goddard College in Fine Art and Photography, I have spent years studying in museums and with professional artists. As the Director of the Farmington Valley Arts Center in Avon, CT for 20 years, I worked with artists and built a recognized artists community.

Universal experience and connections with the ancients fascinate me. I have traveled to Greece to find my dream temple and searched my dreams for messages that are reflected in my art.

The making of the work comes from meditation. I pull inward as I am creating, not noticing what is around me. I let the materials guide me. Years after I make an artwork, I see this work as a record of what was going on in my spirit at that time. My art is constantly changing. I search to find what is deep under the surface of my awareness.

This is part of the ageing process for me. Many colors and many materials speak to the experience in the many ways my soul guides me.