Connie Freid
Yonkers, NY - United States
Connie Freid - Fine Artist
Member Since: 01/22/2010
A contemporary realist, I paint in acrylics and mixed media, telling stories that go beyond traditional portraits. Buyers of my work say they are drawn to its narrative richness, psychological nuances and ambiguities. Art critics have called my pieces 'powerful, poignant and provocative' as they combine beauty and mystery.
Fifteen years ago, following a career in economic development, I decided to pursue my life-long interest in art. As a child, growing up in Philadelphia, my favorite activities included drawing and making collages, mainly of people from other countries. I took art lessons at the Philadelphia Museum School of Art before winning a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania where I earned a B.S. After working in public relations for several years, I got married and, in short order, had three children. While they were in school, I got an MBA.
Even though I worked in both the private and public sectors for many years, taking classes at the Westchester County Workshop made me realize that my true passion was art. Classes at SUNY Purchase, Silvermine Guild of Art and the International Center of Photography gave me new skills and direction. As I’ve always admired paintings of people, it was only natural for me to make that my focus. People and the paradoxes of contemporary life fascinate me. I’m attracted to the humanism and intimate studies of ordinary people shown by painters ranging from Goya and Rembrandt to Alice Neel and Marlene Dumas. Like these old and contemporary masters, I’m interested in exploring complex issues of identity.
To this day, I am curious about other cultures and how our heritage and traditions define us. Women appear regularly in my art. I express the contradictory ways we view them – as icons and sex symbols, angels and demons. I often find myself painting isolated figures with haunting gazes. To me, they evoke an inner turmoil of personal change. I also love to paint children. Their spontaneity and sheer joy are a welcome tonic from the tragedies that surround us.
Although I usually begin working with a photograph, it is merely a starting point for an idea or composition. Each piece rapidly takes on a life of its own. My goal is to have the viewer probe beneath the surface and ponder a deeper meaning. I want my art to induce reaction and conversation.
I’ve had four solo shows – “The Feminine Mystique, Redux” at Sarah Lawrence College (Bronxville, NY), “Inspirations” at the Rye Free Reading Room (Rye NY), “Dreams and Destinies” at the Harrison Library (Harrison NY) and “Sounds of Silence” at the Riverdale Temple (Bronx NY). I was one of two featured artists in “Face to Face” at Brother Kenneth Chapman Gallery, Iona College Art Center.
In 2010, I won the $1000 Frances K. Brooks Memorial Award for my painting, 'Waiting', at the 93rd Annual Greenwich Art Society Bendheim Exhibit. In 2009, I won Honorable Mention at the Art Society of Old Greenwich show, “In the Mood for Color.” At the Rye Arts Center, I won Best in Show for painting in 2008 and First Place in painting in 2006. In 2005, I won the Myra C. Berol Memorial Award at the 33rd Annual Bedford Art Show.
Recent juried shows include: 'Juxtapositions' (Flinn Gallery), “Crossing Borders” (Progreso Gallery, Mexico), “Discoveries” (George Segal Gallery, Montclair State University) 3rd and 4th Annual Human Rights exhibits (South Texas College & University of Monterrey, Mexico) “Spectrum” (New Canaan Society for the Arts), “Re-Flowering the Garden: Women and Nature” (Mills Pond House Gallery), “Women, Words and Images” (Mills Pond House Gallery), 32nd and 33rd Annual Art Shows (Bedford), “Real to Unreal” (Hammond Museum), “The Contemporary Portrait” (Rye Arts Center), “Viewpoints” (Northern Westchester Center for the Arts), “Art of the Northeast” (Silvermine Guild), RGA Annual Shows (Ridgefield Guild of Artists), “The Human Presence: Interpretations” (Westchester Arts Exchange) Allied Artists of America (National Arts Club), “Waterworks” (Brother Kenneth Chapman Gallery, Iona College) and the Consulate of Venezuela.
In addition, I’ve exhibited work at the White Plains Library, Westchester Medical Center, Garrison Art Center, Westport Arts Center, Ceres Gallery, Brewster Gallery, and Art54 Gallery.
I’m a member of the Allied Artists of America, Katonah Museum Artists Association, Rye Arts Center, New Canaan Art Association, Ridgefield Guild of Artists, Mainstream Studio Artists and Westchester Arts Council.
