暴風中的海灘日落| REMINISCING SUNSET AT ROCKAWAY BEACH

當人們特別鍾情於一個地方，他們看到的景色和浮現的情緒會停留在腦海中，成爲自己的動力和靈感的來源。Sam Friedman 因為從洛克威海灘找到靈感，他在WOAW Gallery與Library Street Collective聯手策劃的《 FANTASY 》展覽裏，將他對這個地方的情感，揉合具象與抽象風格表現出來。

People can form special connections with people, objects and places. Perhaps it is a certain sensation, or a particular memory, they are often engraved in one’s mind forever and become their source of inspiration. For Sam Friedman, his particular fondness for Rockaway Beach in New York City is the main inspiration of his works in FANTASY, presented by Woaw Store Gallery and Library Street Collective, where he conveys his feelings for nature through a vibrant and harmonious color palette and abstract forms.

Sam Friedman
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on Handmade 200 lb cold press Water color Paper
16 x 12 inches

Sam鍾愛位於紐約的洛克威海灘，很多作品也是以這個海灘的輪廊、自然景觀、目睹的色彩、發生的事與歡樂作為開端，在充滿不確定性的世界裡，他發現自己能夠享受在洛克威海灘所經歷的自由，感覺如像一個脫俗的夢，一種幻想，引伸到今次這個畫展，以FANTASY來命題。

Sam has always had a long-time affinity for Rockaway Beach. Many of his landscapes reference this closeness he has with the beach’s natural landscape, as well as the colour and movement and joy he has experienced there. During this time of uncertainty around the world, he is able to enjoy the same freedoms he experienced at Rockaway Beach that it feels like an otherworldly dream, a fantasy.

Sam Friedman
Untitled (Large Set), 2020
Acrylic on Handmade 200 lb cold press Water color Paper
30 x 22 inches

Sam Friedman的創作揉合具象與抽象風格，畫展中的作品探索與人體有關的顏料應用、繪畫工具使用和畫作表面等的形式上的操作，同時作品內容刻意除去有序的情節，在沒有起承轉合的脈絡下，作品的意念變得無限，能延伸更多思考與感受的空間，每件作品也有無限種詮釋而不能實象化，無邊際的意念在觀賞者的腦海中迴盪。

Friedman moves between representational and abstract depictions with seeming ease and spontaneity. In this exhibition his paintings explore the formal concerns of paint, tools and surfaces as they relate to the scale of the human body, and his narratives resist progressive plots; without a beginning or end, the works become infinite. For each piece he manifests, there are countless interpretations that do not become physical, yet remain in the artist’s mind with a boundlessness that resonates with the viewer.

Sam Friedman專注於美國抽象表現主義畫家的傳統，探索線條，色彩和顏料的應用，傳達各種情緒引發想像。重複與自我規限的參數為他的作品打下了基礎，同時他亦以直覺自由地創作每件作品。相比起以顏色覆蓋的技巧繪出漸變效果，Sam以預先調配好的顏色徒手繪畫，留下的瑕疵使作品更顯獨特和張力。

Friedman’s work is rooted in the tradition of American Abstract Expressionist painters who explored line, color, and the systematic application of paint. Within this heritage, Friedman examines methodical processes where repetition and self-imposed parameters lay the groundwork for his compositions but permit him the freedom to build each piece instinctively by hand. Rather than masking each successive gradient to create a manufactured finish, the artist premixes his colors and lays down line after line freehand, allowing imperfections to emerge.

Sam Friedman
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on Handmade 200 lb cold press Water color Paper
30 x 22 inches

Sam Friedman
Untitled (Close-up), 2020
Acrylic on Handmade 200 lb cold press Water color Paper
30 x 22 inches

對於Sam而言，這種沉思而有機的過程超越具象與形體，貫穿觀眾對作品的體驗。長大在紐約州北部，使他渴望尋求在大自然的心境，縱然作品具有大自然的元素，但當中的並不是從實象中參考，而是透過大自然中的流動和運動來處理繪畫。事業初期，他在正值暴風雨的日落時刻走到去在洛克威海灘，當天的場景成啟發了他，建立出獨有對顏色和線條的觸覺，成為Sam Friedman 著名的風格。

For the artist, this meditative and organic process is trans-figurative and carries through to the viewer’s experience of the works. Growing up in upstate New York – where he has since returned after years in the city – Friedman seeks the state of mind that he encounters within nature. Though the works have elemental and naturalistic qualities, they are built not by reference to the physical aspects of the outdoors, but by the flow and movement within nature to address questions about the practice of painting itself. Early in his career, the artist marks a pivotal time while walking towards the sunset at Rockaway Beach during a storm. This moment enlightened a visual sensory of colors and lines which he’s most known for today.

Sam Friedman 生於1984年紐約奧尼昂塔市，於Pratt Art Institute學習插圖與版式設計，曾在美國、歐洲和亞洲舉辦個人展覽，他的作品亦被Architectural Digest、Artsy、Hypebeast、High Snobiety、Juxtapoz等媒體介紹。現正居於紐約的Pleasant Valley。

Sam Friedman (b. 1984, Oneonta, New York) studied illustration and typography at the Pratt Art Institute and has presented solo exhibitions in the United States, Europe and Asia. His work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Artsy, Hypebeast, High Snobiety, Juxtapoz and other publications. He currently lives and works in Pleasant Valley, New York.