Britt Freda Portfolios

“What if sex was holy and war was obscene
And it wasn’t twisted, what a wonderful dream”
– Alicia Keys, Holy War

(painting: Love Trust, 2018, mixed media, 8" x 8")

In a time of warring ideas, sexism, racism, fascism, ism, ism, ism… in a time of historical mass exodus, the ever present threat of nuclear war, the temperamental wrath of climate change and extensions I, like so many, wonder what the heck is the antidote, the ballast? When I talk or write about my paintings, from my lightly used soapbox for introverts, I fervently espouse that it is essential to compel a person to love something before they’ll risk what it takes to defend it. If you are familiar with my work, you know I’ve devoted many, many years (wearing: the Lorax superhero costume under my clothes) focusing on endangered species as well as threatened environments and beings. In my life I’ve learned to love the challenge of building something luminous and beautiful on the foundation of something hard, uncomfortable or in need of attention and protection. I hope for the viewer of my work to fall in love with my paintings as seeds that grow awareness, compassion and maybe, just maybe, the strength to mobilize to make as many big and little contributions as we can to make the world better because we are here.

I find, when it is time for me to study a new subject (bees or owls or rhinos or elephants…) it works better if I don’t hunt them. Surprised right? If I sit quietly and listen they find me. This time, sitting in silence, contemplating antidotes and ballasts the word that kept circling me, even though I shushed it away a few times for being conceptually common in a hallmark-card-song-movie-book-genre, omg-this-has-been-done-a-bazillion-times-over! kind of way. Easy guess right? Love. You: one point. Now, guess what recently reached over my shoulder and nuzzled its nose to my head? The animal with the largest heart on land. Giraffes! Oh, and of course, they too just happen to be threatened and/or endangered.

Cliché? “Oh girlfriend,” my inside voice admonished, “be not judgmental, lofty or elitist, especially about love! Are you crazy? And I thought you said you like challenges.”

So the next series of work coming out of my lovely, light filled new studio is titled: LOVE. And as a nod to the titles of the new small works that are now showing at Giacobbe-Fritz in Santa Fe, NM I’m including a revised poem circling around from February. Did I mention I like circles?

Many of the original 8” x 8” and 12” x 12” paintings are still available for purchase at Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art. After the originals sell I’ll make the prints available through my print site www.brittfredaart.com If you can’t swing the original but you’d like to “reserve” a Giraffe Love print email me. Love Tender(ly) is, now, available in print.

L O V E

Love art.

Love brilliance and breath and beauty and bees. Love to be. Love b.

Love compassion. Love curiously!

Love dignity.  Love dreams.

Love equality. Love elephants.

 Love freedom, Love fiercely.  Love fear.

Love generosity and gratitude and groovy and big-hearted giraffes!

 Love humanity. Love hope.  Love healing.

Love intelligence and inclusion. 

Love justice. 

Love laughter, love letters, love listening. Love learning. Love love.

 Love mamas.  Love maturity.

Love nests.  Love nourishing.

Love owls and optimism. 

Love peas and papas and peace and patience and poems. 

Love the questions themselves.  - Rilke

Love resilience. 
Love seeing. Love sex.

 Love time. Love trust. Love tender (noun). Love tenderly.

 Love utterly!

 Love vehemently!

 Love willfully!  Love wisdom.

Love xeno (other). 

Love you. 

-with love from me, BF

blog

Covid Grief

04/23/2020

video poem

Art is the seed of humanity. Bee the change.

12/01/2019

Environmental Impact and Renewable Energy

09/24/2018

I hope each of us asks this question often: what is environmental impact? And what is my environmental impact? Sometimes, my subjects are endangered species and extinction. Sometimes they are about climate change. Sometimes I focus my gaze on bees or social (in)equality and education. And sometimes environmental impact is, intimately, about the landscapes of internal darkness, that which is hidden underneath: vulnerability, fragility, fear, trauma, uncertainty, loss, humanity, courage, connection and love—of place, of animals, of self, of people we care about. Environmental impact is melting icecaps and hugging a tender-hearted, teary child. Environmental impact is prioritizing the people you love with kisses and fat hugs and prioritizing voting and recycling and consuming conscientiously. Environmental impact is renewable energy: the sun, wind and water. ALSO RENEWABLE ENERGY is: love, laughter, inclusion, compassion and education.

COUR•AGE

06/05/2018

As a contemporary painter focused on environmental impact, endangered species and social equality issues, I am interested in the social impact of art. Art inspires, and cultivates innovation and science. And, circuitously, science and innovation inspire art. As we build our future it is essential that we design from a foundation where compassion, science, innovation and art intersect. Why art? Our attraction to beauty is part of our humanity. It connects us. Beauty can restore dignity and hope. Art has the power to unite. When wielded well, art reaches inside, beyond words or explanations or cerebral data points. Inside, felt by the gut or the heart,beauty reaches beyond race or gender or socioeconomics or orientation or religion or politics. From a visceral, emotional place, art inspires people to care. Only when people care, when they feel emotionally connected, are they compelled to question, to learn, to grow, to change, to take action.

LOVE paintings

12/11/2017

“What if sex was holy and war was obscene. And it wasn’t twisted, what a wonderful dream” – Alicia Keys, Holy War. In a time of warring ideas, sexism, racism, fascism, ism, ism, ism… in a time of historical mass exodus, the ever present threat of nuclear war, the temperamental wrath of climate change and extensions I, like so many, wonder what the heck is the antidote, the ballast? When I talk or write about my paintings, from my lightly used soapbox for introverts, I fervently espouse that it is essential to compel a person to love something before they’ll risk what it takes to defend it. If you are familiar with my work, you know I’ve devoted many, many years (wearing: the Lorax superhero costume under my clothes) focusing on endangered species as well as threatened environments and beings.

The Bee for Patagonia and The Creative Action Network #voteourplanet campaign

09/22/2016

"Patagonia and the Creative Action Network aim to create a new activist collection of political protest posters to communicate Patagonia’s belief that our country’s economy, security and future are wholly dependent on a healthy environment and urging all of us to take action and vote to protect our planet. Born out of The Canary Project, CAN, and Patagonia’s Vote The Environment campaign of 2014, #voteourplanet is inviting artists & designers across the country to use their talents for our planet." - Creative Action Network read more to learn the why of the bee.

The Whale for Patagonia and The Creative Action Network's #voteourplanet campaign

09/22/2016

"Patagonia and the Creative Action Network aim to create a new activist collection of political protest posters to communicate Patagonia’s belief that our country’s economy, security and future are wholly dependent on a healthy environment and urging all of us to take action and vote to protect our planet. Born out of The Canary Project, CAN, and Patagonia’s Vote The Environment campaign of 2014, #voteourplanet is inviting artists & designers across the country to use their talents for our planet." - Creative Action Network click to read more about the why of the whale image.

Patagonia and Creative Action Network partner to create the #voteourplanet campaign

09/22/2016

"Patagonia and the Creative Action Network aim to create a new activist collection of political protest posters to communicate Patagonia’s belief that our country’s economy, security and future are wholly dependent on a healthy environment and urging all of us to take action and vote to protect our planet. Born out of The Canary Project, CAN, and Patagonia’s Vote The Environment campaign of 2014, #voteourplanet is inviting artists & designers across the country to use their talents for our planet." - Creative Action Network

Learn

05/26/2016

My paintings have been influenced by a lifelong fascination, awe and reverence for the natural world. Michele Corriel, Art & Architecture, 2014 wrote "[Britt Freda’s paintings] ask us to travel not only the roads we see but the ones we’ve lost along the way.” While my subjects are rooted in realism, the closer the viewer gets one will discover my surfaces are regularly imbedded with etched words, statistics, poems, maps or seedpods. The elements that are layered between patterns of color are usually circuitously referential of environmental elements (seed pods, petals, cellular structures...).

LOVE paintings

12/11/2017

“What if sex was holy and war was obscene
And it wasn’t twisted, what a wonderful dream”
– Alicia Keys, Holy War

(painting: Love Trust, 2018, mixed media, 8" x 8")

In a time of warring ideas, sexism, racism, fascism, ism, ism, ism… in a time of historical mass exodus, the ever present threat of nuclear war, the temperamental wrath of climate change and extensions I, like so many, wonder what the heck is the antidote, the ballast? When I talk or write about my paintings, from my lightly used soapbox for introverts, I fervently espouse that it is essential to compel a person to love something before they’ll risk what it takes to defend it. If you are familiar with my work, you know I’ve devoted many, many years (wearing: the Lorax superhero costume under my clothes) focusing on endangered species as well as threatened environments and beings. In my life I’ve learned to love the challenge of building something luminous and beautiful on the foundation of something hard, uncomfortable or in need of attention and protection. I hope for the viewer of my work to fall in love with my paintings as seeds that grow awareness, compassion and maybe, just maybe, the strength to mobilize to make as many big and little contributions as we can to make the world better because we are here.

I find, when it is time for me to study a new subject (bees or owls or rhinos or elephants…) it works better if I don’t hunt them. Surprised right? If I sit quietly and listen they find me. This time, sitting in silence, contemplating antidotes and ballasts the word that kept circling me, even though I shushed it away a few times for being conceptually common in a hallmark-card-song-movie-book-genre, omg-this-has-been-done-a-bazillion-times-over! kind of way. Easy guess right? Love. You: one point. Now, guess what recently reached over my shoulder and nuzzled its nose to my head? The animal with the largest heart on land. Giraffes! Oh, and of course, they too just happen to be threatened and/or endangered.

Cliché? “Oh girlfriend,” my inside voice admonished, “be not judgmental, lofty or elitist, especially about love! Are you crazy? And I thought you said you like challenges.”

So the next series of work coming out of my lovely, light filled new studio is titled: LOVE. And as a nod to the titles of the new small works that are now showing at Giacobbe-Fritz in Santa Fe, NM I’m including a revised poem circling around from February. Did I mention I like circles?

Many of the original 8” x 8” and 12” x 12” paintings are still available for purchase at Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art. After the originals sell I’ll make the prints available through my print site www.brittfredaart.com If you can’t swing the original but you’d like to “reserve” a Giraffe Love print email me. Love Tender(ly) is, now, available in print.

L O V E

Love art.

Love brilliance and breath and beauty and bees. Love to be. Love b.

Love compassion. Love curiously!

Love dignity.  Love dreams.

Love equality. Love elephants.

 Love freedom, Love fiercely.  Love fear.

Love generosity and gratitude and groovy and big-hearted giraffes!

 Love humanity. Love hope.  Love healing.

Love intelligence and inclusion. 

Love justice. 

Love laughter, love letters, love listening. Love learning. Love love.

 Love mamas.  Love maturity.

Love nests.  Love nourishing.

Love owls and optimism. 

Love peas and papas and peace and patience and poems. 

Love the questions themselves.  - Rilke

Love resilience. 
Love seeing. Love sex.

 Love time. Love trust. Love tender (noun). Love tenderly.

 Love utterly!

 Love vehemently!

 Love willfully!  Love wisdom.

Love xeno (other). 

Love you. 

-with love from me, BF

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