The Joshua Liner Gallery is
currently presenting a colorful collection of new work by Sam Friedman for the
exhibition Happy Place. For his first
show at the gallery, Friedman unveils several large-scale acrylic paintings in
addition to 50 smaller paintings. As the title of the show suggests,
these paintings illustrate different objects and places that evoke beauty and
happiness, with each painting bursting with energy with vibrant colors and
expressive designs.
One painting features a moon and
the black night sky radiating bright shades of orange and yellow on the water
below the horizon, and the piece is covered in thick and thin squiggles in
colors like sky blue, purple, magenta, mauve, and light pink. Friedman uses
several small dotted brushed strokes group together to illustrate grass. A similar image also features the
moon against a black sky with only a few squiggle designs, where some of them
represent tree branches and dotted brushstrokes of light blue and green paint
representing the leaves.
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| "Happy Place" (2013) by Sam Friedman |
In another notable painting, Friedman brings
life and enthusiasm to somewhere as familiar as the front lawn or backyard of a
home. A uniquely shaped navy blue watering can with an elongated cylinder on
top, is sitting on some grass whose lively spirit is conveyed through its
free-flowing blades. Behind the watering can is a step surround by small shown
through dotted brushstrokes, representing either bushes or smaller flowers.
Outlines of clouds, the red and yellow roof of the home, and a giant flower
with red petals can also be seen in the foreground.
In a similar piece, a bright, curvy yellow path representing a yellow
brick road, leads to the door of someplace magical like a palace or castle. On
the upper left corner a large red flower can be seen partially covering the
black and blue door with its petals. In the background, the moon can be seen
against a red sky covered with black and mauve squiggles, as it shines over the
water below the horizon, and a row of grass represented by dotted brushstrokes
is lined up alongside the yellow path.
At The Joshua Liner Gallery, 540 W. 28th
St., through Feb. 14. The gallery is open Tues.—Sat. from 11 a.m.—6 p.m.
