Damon Freed: En Plein Air by Bruno David Gallery

DA M O N F R E E D EN PLEIN AIR

bruno david gallery

DAMON FREED EN PLEIN AIR

October 19 - November 24, 2012 Bruno David Gallery 3721 Washington Boulevard Saint Louis, 63108 Missouri, U.S.A. info@brunodavidgallery.com www.brunodavidgallery.com Director: Bruno L. David This catalogue was published in conjunction with the exhibition DAMON FREED: En Plein Air Editor: Bruno L. David Catalogue Designer: Christy Kirk Designer Assistant: Claudia R. David Printed in USA All works courtesy of Bruno David Gallery and Damon Freed Photographs by Bruno David Gallery Cover image: Damon Freed. Goodwill Chapel Road 1, (detail) 2012 Charcoal on Paper 10 x 14 inches (25.4 x 35.6 cm) Damon Freed. Untitled 4, (detail) 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches (55.2 x 75.2 cm) First Edition Copyright ÂŠ 2012 Bruno David Gallery, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of Bruno David Gallery, Inc.

CONTENTS

POEMS BY DAMON FREED AFTERWORD BY BRUNO L. DAVID CHECKLIST AND IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION BIOGRAPHY

Downtown

Spring

Downtown the rain comes and Goes like a mischievous child. The temperature is mild. Uptown The rain persists like an old sage That sits. No fits. I do both. I sit And loaf, and fit and quit. I smoke A cigarette and spit and think, Then take a drink of my lukewarm Coffee. Later it will be tea as I Slow into the day. It’s a mental Bewildering way, between the Hermit and socialite. The sun Gets bright and go out I might. The moon gets dark and I linger And park. Maybe I’ll mimic A lark, a million tweets and Whistles among the weeds and Thistles. Or a shark, a thousand Torturous teeth to tear apart the Heart of night. Yes that’s right,

What happens in the spring? I’ll go out to draw and the Sparrows may sing! I’ll attempt To capture the mischievous wing Of day before it turns late summer And the grass to hay.

The shark. Let the day be dark!

What happens in the spring? All the ice cracks, melts, and pings! The lovers put on their diamond rings. All that cold just slides away as the Noonday sun has more to say. What happens in the spring? The lawn mowers all go motoring! The moonlit nights all go shortening And I, I will fish around the bay When all is gay in the month of May.

Rain On The Roof, After Janet Frame

The Sublime

He covered his windows with sheets, I do not tell him the sun and moon is what makes The heart beat strong again. Or, that looking Between the rain is where love resides. He hides. My eyes have seen this before. I do not tell him that There is no good behind the door, that it’s in front. He’s not again ready for the hunt. And I understand. I offer my hand and shut my mouth. For all lonely Souls deserve a trip south into the depths of hell, Where only their blighted mind can tell when To emerge. Oh, but I have the urge to tell him sheets Are thinner than life, that the heart beats bolder than Any striped curtain, and that this I know for certain. I do not tell him that he is hurting. Nor do I say, the Fabric that binds us is not external, that we all sew Internal first, and that he must soon regain his mirth, And thirst for a life eternal, to be able to carry with Him the look of the sun, and the sound of the rain, And every voice that ended in pain, and all else that Has gone.

Sublime is the burnt orange tips Of an October limb by the hundreds. Sublime is the fluorescent pinks and Reds of August heat. It is the fear of Entering a misty vapor that clouds Our vision below the mountain upon The street. It is at the same time Excitement in knowing nature’s vast Hold on us, its offering of rust and Dust, after a grandiose storm has been Dried. The sublime is not simple beauty. The sublime is highest on the shelf, A book of poems opened once, maybe Twice, a year in dark desperation made To lift our spirits to the heavens. We Are made to believe in what cannot be Seen or felt, what cannot be touched Or smelled. But we do believe.

Two Trees

Horizontal Virtue

A wretched shape, those Gnarled branches and limbs Did make. Two trees wrapped The ominous breeze with Tendrils that bear no leaves. The glassy sheet, lays Tainted and still, deep. A Lagoon, a creep, two stories Steep. This tree, it feeds on Fish and insects and birds. It devours humans I heard. The entire atmosphere a verb For death, these trees bereft Of an eternal spring. In winter They moan and crackle and ping. It’s Satan’s song they sing and Mock the baby bird with stunted Wing. They utter, “Flutter, flutter, Where’s your mother… I’ll eat Her too with jam and butter!”

Anonymous wind tangles the grass Confusion twists the mind Rain hammers the bush Humility pummels the spirit A stiff breeze, That’s what I like to partake in, It straightens the spine and I Walk upright with ease. In the diagonal rain I tread against Hope. In the vertical downpour I am not Tempted to negotiate my place, But stand upward and firm. Forget about Buddhas and Gods And Devils, Some are too high, others are Too low. Glance forward, The horizontal eye does not Shoe gaze or roll.

Nature Will Take You In

Winter Poem

There are few things you have to do in your life, some involve laziness and others involve strife. Climbing a mountain is not one of them, nor is fasting in the desert. Your duty is to yourself and not to the deafening shouts or blinding visions of others. Do your best not by mothers, but by that ecumenical smile derived from geese, and the stars, and from the reddish hue of Mars. Nature will take you in—and you will go in peace.

The coming rain abides by mood A melancholy morning with dew The plants slightly affected by frost Are dying but all is not lost Some green and some brown Intermittent growth about town The bus stop man appears to frown He’s yet to witness winter’s white gown Her dress is blessed with gold in pound When leaves light atop the powdery ground He will then witness the slightest of sounds When titanium is rote and flakes abound

Living In Color

Townsfolk

Have you ever seen the asphalt shine back to the evening sun at 9:05, when a Missouri rain is at its height, light and alive?

I am not a naturalist or A man of the city. I have an In-between status I do not pity. My roots are deep and my Buildings tall, I have the Best of both worlds large and Small. I can play humbly with A blade of grass, or be boisterous As the orchestral brass. For, in This kingdom surrounded by Land, I get to choose exactly Where I stand. One day in the Pasture and the next day on the Street, I can dance to the rhythm Of the urban beat. And when I’m in the field a mild day I do adore – on the bustling Mecca I simply close the door. Now, I’ve read old man Emerson and the likes of Oliver, How I was swept from sea To sky by him and all of her. I’ve also knelt to the cultures Of O’Hara and Ginsberg, And never have I scoffed at the Replicated suburb. So give me Natural Spring and human birth, I’m happy with my in-between Place on this homogenized Earth.

That’s how these evening skies come down on us, upside down peach pies and dragon flies! We drown in them with open mouths and the rest of the world wonders why we’re all so fat! McDonald’s signs don’t dare compete beneath these Indian yellow rays of summer on happy biscuits, it ain’t fast food that’s killin’ us, it’s the slow kind your mother makes - the kind her mother’s mother’s mother made. While everyone else counts sheep we dream of breakfast and doing it all over again. Some summers you just know that ol’ belly is gonna grow. Especially when you’re bathed in shapes and shades night after night, in what we like to call MO candlelight!

AFTERWORD BY BRUNO L. DAVID 12

I am pleased to present Damon Freed’s third solo exhibition with the gallery, “En Plein Air”, on view from October 19 to November 24, 2012. In 1836, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in Nature, “In the tranquil landscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature.” Freed’s landscape drawings stemmed from the recognition of a coming summer, coupled with a strong desire to get out of the studio and away from painting for a while. He wanted to wipe the slate clean. “Drawing is so fundamental to creation,” says Freed, “Without any ideas or concepts by your side, you’re very much in the moment. Charcoal allows you to get down what you see in a very speedy, fresh and open way. After painting abstract for some time, drawing from direct observation, or “en plein air”, seemed a good way to start anew, having last undertaken charcoal drawing since about three years ago. I took to it like a bee to flowers and participated in a kind of symbiotic reverence for the subject. A strong feeling of oneness with nature proceeded from the process. It was good to feel small and humble again in the arms of big nature.” Damon Freed works and lives in Missouri. He received a M.F.A. from Hunter College, New York, and a B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts, New York. Support for the creation of significant new works of art has been the core to the mission and program of the Bruno David Gallery since its founding in 2005. I am deeply grateful to Christy Kirk, who gave much time, talent, and expertise to the production of this catalogue. Invaluable gallery staff support for the exhibition was provided by Nicole Yen , Martin Lang, Rachael Schomburg, Christy Kirk, Yoko Kiyoi, Sophie Lipman and Nicole Fry.

CHECKLIST & IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION

14 Ton Bridge 1, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 10 x 14 inches (25.4 x 35.6 cm)

Untitled 1, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches (55.2 x 75.2 cm) 15

Bothwell State Park 1, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 10 x 14 inches (25.4 x 35.6 cm) 18

Untitled 11, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches (55.2 x 75.2 cm) 19

Clover Dell 1, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 10 x 14 inches (25.4 x 35.6 cm) 20

Untitled 3, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches (55.2 x 75.2 cm) 21

Clover Dell 3, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 10 x 14 inches (25.4 x 35.6 cm) 22

Untitled 12, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches (55.2 x 75.2 cm) 23

M Highway I, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 10 x 14 inches (25.4 x 35.6 cm) 24

Untitled 5, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches (55.2 x 75.2 cm) 25

Goodwill Chapel Road 1, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 10 x 14 inches (25.4 x 35.6 cm)

Untitled 4, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches (55.2 x 75.2 cm) 27

SFCC Campus 1, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 10 x 14 inches (25.4 x 35.6 cm) 28

Untitled 6, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches (55.2 x 75.2 cm) 29

SFCC Walking Track 1, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 10 x 14 inches (25.4 x 35.6 cm)

Untitled 7, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches (55.2 x 75.2 cm) 31

SFCC Pond 2, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 10 x 14 inches (25.4 x 35.6 cm) 32

Untitled 10, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches (55.2 x 75.2 cm) 33

Six Ton Bridge 1, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 14 x 10 inches (35.6 x 25.4 cm) 34

Untitled 8, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 30 x 22 1/2 inches (75.2 x 55.2 cm)

The Bridge 1, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 14 x 10 inches (35.6 x 25.4 cm) 36

Untitled 9, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 30 x 22 1/2 inches (75.2 x 55.2 cm) 37

Backyard 1 2012 Charcoal on Paper 14 x 10 inches (35.6 x 25.4 cm) 38

Untitled 2, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 30 x 22 1/2 inches (75.2 x 55.2 cm) 39

Bothwell State Park 2, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 14 x 10 inches (35.6 x 25.4 cm) 40

Untitled 18, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches (55.2 x 75.2 cm) 41

SFCC Pond 4, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 10 x 14 inches (25.4 x 35.6 cm)

Untitled 17, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches (55.2 x 75.2 cm) 43

UCM Campus 1, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 10 x 14 inches (25.4 x 35.6 cm) 44

Untitled 16, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches (55.2 x 75.2 cm) 45

UCM Campus 2, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 10 x 14 inches (25.4 x 35.6 cm)

Untitled 15, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches (55.2 x 75.2 cm) 47

Keystone Cabin 1, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 14 x 10 inches (35.6 x 25.4 cm)

Untitled 13, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 30 x 22 1/2 inches (75.2 x 55.2 cm) 49

M Highway 2, 2012 Charcoal on Paper 10 x 14 inches (25.4 x 35.6 cm)

Untitled 14, 2013 Acrylic and Flashe on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches (55.2 x 75.2 cm) 51

Damon Freed EDUCATION M.F.A. Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY B.F.A. School of Visual Arts, New York, NY State Fair Community College, Sedalia Missouri

SOLO EXHIBITION 2012 2011 2009

Bruno David Gallery, “Damon Freed: En Plein Air,” Saint Louis, MO (catalogue) Bruno David Gallery, “Damon Freed: Life Saver,” Saint Louis, MO (catalogue) Bruno David Gallery, “Damon Freed: Calm, Cool, Coherent,” Saint Louis, MO (catalogue)

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2010 2009 2009 2006 2006 2003

RECESSION REJUVENATIONS, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO OVERVIEW_09, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO Gallery Selections: Small Scale Works, Tobey Fine Arts, New York Correspondence to a Single Point: A Survey of Geometric Abstraction, Tobey Fine Arts, New York Hum, Curated by Shinsuke Aso, Tobey Fine Arts, New York The Wild Bunch, Curated by Tim Rollins, White Box Gallery, New York

GRANTS/AWARDS 2003 2002 2001 2000 2000

Honors—School of Visual Arts, New York Juan Gonzales Award—School of Visual Arts, New York Fine Arts Departmental Grant—School of Visual Arts, New York Silas H. Rhodes Merit Scholarship—School of Visual Arts, New York Dr. Tony Racela Grant—State Fair Community College

BIBLIOGRAPHY Baran, Jessica. Cooper, Ivy. Gordon, Kara. Cooper, Ivy. Baran, Jessica. Weant, Nancy.

“Life Saver at Bruno David gallery”, Riverfront Times, December 15, 2011 “Winter wondering at Bruno David Gallery”, St. Louis Beacon, December 5, 2011 “Calibration”, Esssay, Bruno David Gallery Publications, Exhibition catalogue, 2011 “Damon Freed”, St. Louis Beacon, March 19, 2009 “Damon Freed: Calm, Cool, Coherent”, Riverfront Times, March 25, 2009 “Damon Freed: Calm, Cool, Coherent”, Essay, Bruno David Gallery Publications, Exhibition catalogue, 2009

ARTISTS Laura Beard Martin Brief Lisa K. Blatt Shawn Burkard Bunny Burson Carmon Colangelo Alex Couwenberg Jill Downen Yvette Drury Dubinsky Beverly Fishman

Damon Freed Joan Hall Ann Hamilton Kim Humphries Kelley Johnson Howard Jones (Estate) Chris Kahler Bill Kohn (Estate) Leslie Laskey Patricia Olynyk

Gary Passanise Judy Pfaff Daniel Raedeke Chris Rubin de la Borbolla Charles Schwall Christina Shmigel Thomas Sleet Buzz Spector Cindy Tower Mario Trejo Ken Worley

brunodavidgallery.com