Damon Freed: The Correspondence of Color by Bruno David Gallery

Da m o n Fre e d The Correspondence of Color

bruno david gallery

DAMON FREED

The Correspondence of Color February 16 - April 6, 2018 Bruno David Gallery 7513 Forsyth Boulevard Saint Louis, Missouri 63105, U.S.A. info@brunodavidgallery.com www.brunodavidgallery.com Owner/Director: Bruno L. David This catalogue was published in conjunction with the exhibition “Damon Freed: The Correspondence of Color” at Bruno David Gallery. Editor: Bruno L. David Catalogue Designer: Haleigh Givens and Lauren R. Mann Designer Assistant: Claudia R. David Printed in USA All works courtesy of Damon Freed and Bruno David Gallery Photographs by Bruno David Gallery Cover image: Transparency, 2017 Acrylic on canvas 72 x 72 inches (182.88 x 182.88 cm) First Edition Copyright © 2018 Bruno David Gallery All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of Bruno David Gallery

CONTENTS

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

THE CORRESPONDENCE OF COLOR BY DAMON FREED

Correspondence of Colors Theory In perceiving color, there are two corresponding modes: psychological and physiological. They both are mental and physical in nature but I find distinguishing them is necessary for understanding. Psychological color has to do with our perception of light. Physiological color has to do with our perception of warmth. It can be said that our response to light is visual and mental, whereas our response to warmth is tactile and physical. I have diagrammed both perceptions to the best of my knowledge. The horizontal arrows in the diagram signify how light and warmth travel. Light and warmth being aggressive, signified by the solid arrows, and dark and cool being passive, signified by the dotted arrows. The left and right arrows, the vertical arrows, signify the correspondence and compatibility between psychological color and physiological color. I want you to understand that natural lightness and darkness correspond directly with warmth and coolness. Think of a low-lit room and a high-lit room. The warmer of the two is understood to be the high-lit room. Sunlight provides warmth, and darkness is a lack of sunlight and warmth. Therefore, it is plain to see that light, dark, warmth, and coolness are linked both in terms of the additive light color theory (projected light) and the subtractive color theory (reflected light). Whetherdealing with a direct source of light (projected) or an indirect source (reflected) the theory stands the same. In the history of color theory, the term chromatic neutral has been applied to a middle-color directly between a complementary pair. To my knowledge, it has never been applied to a middle-color between a monochromatically colored pair. For example, the middle-color directly between a dark blue and a light blue can also be understood

as a chromatic neutral according to my diagram. Chromatic neutrals are commonly understood to be grey in appearance through the combining of, for example, a blue and an orange, a red and a green, or a violet and a yellow. My diagram attempts to extend this understanding tomiddle-colors between tints, tones, and shades of all hues. The Psychology of Color Theory The psychology of color pertains to our perception of a color’s innate lightness or darkness. This diagram shows how we can perceive color (light) in varying intervals corresponding to either positive or negative emotional states of being. The history of painting tells us some truths about these categorical divisions of color that express specific emotions . . . For example, Henri Matisse, a painter who investigated the positive sides of color through varying degrees of excitement, joy and happiness, had this to say about painting: “What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter - a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.” And when viewing his paintings, it is plain to see a decisive lighter palette lending itself to an uplifting spirit and attitude about color. On the other side, there are artists such as Mark Rothko who have investigated the darker, sadder, more melancholiac, and depressive states of color and emotion. Rothko is quoted as having said, “I’m interested only in expressing basic hu-

man emotions: tragedy, ecstasy, doom, and so on.” And in his repertoire of painting there are both examples of positive and negative, light and dark. The ecstasy and tragedy, as he stated, were expressed clearly in his paintings through brighter and darker color palettes. And this brings me to the third aspect of my Psychology of Color Theory and Diagram. This aspect is found in the diagram’s vertical divisions of white, grey, and black. White representing birth (light and innocence), black representing death (dark and tragedy), and grey representing life (ambiguity); the combination of birth and death – light and dark– innocence and tragedy. It could be said that these symbolic characteristics manifest themselves best through drawing with charcoal or through painting with a strictly black, white, and grey palette. *I would like to note my awareness of Robert Plutchik’s, “Wheel of Emotions,” from 1980. My awareness of his color wheel, of sorts, came long after my having completed The Psychology of Color diagram. What I would like to say is that I am an artist first, not a psychologist. In my own defense, my emotional states of being that you see in the diagram were prompted by color first, not the other way around. This is to say, I did not develop a color model to suit my awareness of emotional states of being. The color came first, my emotional responses second. The Physiology of Color Theory Sir Isaac Newton’s color wheel in 1704, from “Opticks,” shows that color has been more or less organized between warms and cools until later in 1961, when Johannes Itten pointed even more articulately to the division between warms and cools in his book, The Art of Color. The division is not a new one, but my nomenclature, “The Physiology of Color,” is. My reasoning for dividing the warm and cool traditional primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries in the manner I have is to further your understanding of their binary powers. Their physiological implication is set forth in my diagram by a split division down the center between the warms on the left and the cools on the right. This is the most direct (and dramatic) way I could think of to demonstrate warms and cools without showing the effects of other colors on them. It is important to note that there are varying degrees of warmth and coolness. For example, as Itten indicated in, The Art

of Color, a cool color placed next to an even cooler color may make the cool color appear warm given its context next to the cooler color. Nevertheless, there remains a fundamental division between warms and cools when contextualizing all of the traditional primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries alone together as seen in my diagram. It is also believed that warm colors advance into our vision and cool colors recede away from our vision. This is true most of the time. But, it needs to be stated that cools, given their context, can be made to advance. For example, a blue-green surrounded by a red orange appears to advance in an isolated context. Hans Hoffman was a brilliant colorist and his idea of push and pull is a good example of this when color is used well to emphasize spatial ambiguity. Warms – Yellow = Lightest Red-Violet = Darkest Yellow = Warmest warm Red-Violet = Coolest warm Intermediate Warms – Red-Violet = Most ambiguous warm in terms of warmth and coolness Cools – Yellow-Green Blue-Violet = Yellow-Green Blue-Violet =

= Lightest Darkest = Warmest cool Coolest cool

Intermediate Cools – Yellow-Green = Most ambiguous cool in terms of warmth and coolness

*These results are based on Golden Heavy Body Acrylics. To my eyes, these colors are the truest to begin with. I find them to be the most saturated and balanced. The colors I began with are as follows: Primaries – Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Yellow Light, Cobalt Blue Secondaries – Permanent Green Light, Cadmium Orange, Medium Violet Contemporary Chromatic Neutrals Theory Chromatic – of or relating to color or color phenomena or sensations (Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, 2017) Neutral – not decided or pronounced as to characteristics: indifferent (Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, 2017) By reading the definitions for chromatic and neutral above, we can logically surmise that chromatic neutral simply means color indifference. For example, if I were to situate three different colors side by side and the middle, or neutral, color was an even mixture of the outer two it could be said that it bears the quality of indifference toward the outer colors as it would not take sides. This is what I am describing in my diagram. It is my wish to extend the meaning of chromatic neutral to all chromatic neutrals of all varieties; be it a tint, tone, shade, or, a physical mixture of red-yellow-blue, or to a physical mixture of any complementary pair. In the diagram to the left you will find my example of contemporary chromatic neutrals. Mixtures of tints, tones, and shades of the traditional primaries and secondaries created by incorporating white, grey, or black to the pure colors or pure color combinations.

AFTERWORD BY BRUNO L. DAVID 12

I am pleased to present an exhibition titled The Correspondence of Color by Damon Freed at the Bruno David Gallery. This is the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sixth solo exhibition with the gallery. Damon Freed works in a multitude of styles. Each style plays a role in his language to express color more fully. In this series the paintings began stylistically through systematic ideation. They were mathematically composed by using different proportions of mixing the paint and by way of a ruler to measure out the compositions. The visual spectrum he uses is blue, red, yellow, orange, green, and violet plus black and white; otherwise known as the primary and secondary spectrum. He also mixes tertiaries when needed. When beginning this series with pure color, he decided to paint in acrylic. The acrylics he uses are the most saturated that he has ever used. This allows him to adjust the different areas of color to his liking with ease. He likes a clean appearance and clean edges, so it helps to tape off the areas to be painted. When utilizing paint that dries relatively quickly, one can move from one shape to the next with ease. At present he works with color to satisfy his desire to paint more fully with it and has published The Correspondence of Color (2018) on this series of paintings. 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. He recently published Twonism (Thoughts, Essays, and Poems), (2018). He lives and works in Sedalia, Missouri. 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 would like to express my sincere thanks to Damon Freed for a very thoughtful essay. I am deeply grateful to Haleigh Givens and Lauren R. Mann, who gave much time, talent, and expertise to the production of this catalogue. Invaluable gallery staff support for the exhibition was provided by Ruoyi Gan, Helen Fox, Haleigh Givens, Christina Lu, Lauren R. Mann, Thomas Fruhauf, Peter Finley.

CHECKLIST & IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION

The Physiology of Color 2017 Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Ring I 2017 Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Chromatic Neutrals (Greys Not Browns) 2017 Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Y, R, B vs. C, M, K 2017 Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Past 2017 Acrylic on Canvas 62.5 x 72 inches (165.61 x 182.88 cm)

Future 2017 Acrylic on Canvas 62.5 x 72 inches (165.61 x 182.88)

Chromatic Neutrals 2017 Acrylic on Canvas 72 x 72 inches (182.88 x 182.88 cm)

Peace Sign 2018 Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Transparency 2017 Acrylic on Canvas 72 x 72 inches (182.88 x 182.88 cm)

The Present 2017 Acrylic on Canvas 72 x 72 inches (182.88 x 182.88 cm)

Ring 4 2018 Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Ring 5 2018 Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Traditional Chromatic Neutrals (Browns Not Greys) 2017 Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Ring 3 2018 Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Lacedaemon 2018 Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Pond 1 2018 Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Ring 2 2018 Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Contemporary Chromatic Neutrals 2017 Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

Damon Freed: The Correspondence of Color (installation view)

DAMON FREED Lives and works in Sedalia, Missouri

EDUCATION M.F.A. Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY B.F.A. School of Visual Arts, New York, NY

SOLO EXHIBITION 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2012 2011 2009

Bruno David Gallery, “The Correspondence of Color,” Saint Louis, MO (catalogue) Bruno David Gallery, “Landscapes,” Saint Louis, MO (catalogue) Sager-Braudis Gallery, “Damon Freed,” Columbia, MO Bruno David Gallery, “Obstacle and Void,” Saint Louis, MO (catalogue) Daum Museum of Contemporary Art “Four Point Perspective,” Sedalia, MO Bruno David Gallery, “Damon Freed: En Plein Air,” Saint Louis, MO (catalogue) Three Rivers Community College, “Damon Freed: Grid Games,” Poplar Bluff, MO Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, “Damon Freed: Cadence,” Kansas City, MO 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 2018 2017 2015 2014 2013 2013 2012 2010 2009 2006 2003

OVERVIEW_2018, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO OVERVIEW_2017, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO AND / OR, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO (catalogue) In Good Company, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO Paperworks, Liberty Center Loft Gallery, Sedalia, MO OVERVIEW_2014, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO Summer Invitational, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO Blue, White, and Red, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO December Group Show, Liberty Center Loft Gallery, Sedalia, MO October Group Show, Liberty Center Loft Gallery, Sedalia, MO 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

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

2000

Silas H. Rhodes Merit Scholarship—School of Visual Arts, New York Dr. Tony Racela Grant—State Fair Community College

BIBLIOGRAPHY Freed, Damon. “The Correspondence of Color”, Esssay, Bruno David Gallery Publications, Exhibition catalogue, 2018 Marks, Kerry. “The Bruno David Gallery’s Continues to Promote Contemporary Art”, HEC-TV, February 26, 2018 Johnson, Timothy “Twonism (Thoughts, Essays, and Poems)”, Art Book, 2018 & Freed, Damon. Helsel, Dennis. “Damon Freed’s Landscape”, Esssay, Bruno David Gallery Publications, Exhibition catalogue, 2017 Marks, Kerry. “Damon Freed: An Interview”, HEC-TV, January 17, 2017 Schwartz, Martin. “It’s All Relative”, Missouri Life, December 9, 2016 Hartman, Tanya. “Selfless: The Work of Damon Freed”, Esssay, Bruno David Gallery Publications, Exhibition catalogue, 2015 Bemiss, Faith. “SFCC art instructors show variety of work at Daum”, Sedalia Democrat, October 3, 2014 Bemiss, Faith. “How Paperworks”, Sedalia Democrat, July 19-20, 2014 Baran, Jessica. “Life Saver at Bruno David gallery”, Riverfront Times, December 15, 2011 Cooper, Ivy. “Winter wondering at Bruno David Gallery”, St. Louis Beacon, December 5, 2011 Gordon, Kara. “Calibration”, Esssay, Bruno David Gallery Publications, Exhibition catalogue, 2011 Siegel, Kyle. “SNJ Community Profile”, Sedalia News Journal, September 6, 2011 Cooper, Ivy. “Damon Freed”, St. Louis Beacon, March 19, 2009 Baran, Jessica. “Damon Freed: Calm, Cool, Coherent”, Riverfront Times, March 25, 2009 Weant, Nancy. “Damon Freed: Calm, Cool, Coherent”, Essay, Bruno David Gallery Publications, Exhibition catalogue, 2009 Nail, Sarah. “Easy on the Eyes”, Sedalia Democrat, September 18, 2008

PUBLICATIONS “The Correspondence of Color”, Damon Freed, 2018 “Douglass Freed: Reflective Landscapes”, Interview, Bruno David Gallery Publications, Exhibition catalogue, 2015 “Kelley Johnson: New Paintings”, Essay, Bruno David Gallery Publications, Exhibition catalogue, 2013 “Damon Freed: En Plein Air”, Poems, Bruno David Gallery Publications, Exhibition catalogue, 2012 “Damon Freed: Life Saver”, Poems, Bruno David Gallery Publications, Exhibition catalogue, 2011

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ARTISTS Laura Beard Heather Bennett Lisa K. Blatt Michael Byron Bunny Burson Judy Child Carmon Colangelo Alex Couwenberg Jill Downen Yvette Drury Dubinsky Damon Freed Douglass Freed

Michael Jantzen Kelley Johnson Howard Jones (Estate) Chris Kahler Xizi Liu James Austin Murray Bill Kohn (Estate) Leslie Laskey Yvonne Osei Patricia Olynyk Justin Henry Miller Gary Passanise

Ellen Jantzen

Judy Pfaff

Charles P. Reay Daniel Raedeke Tom Reed Frank Schwaiger Charles Schwall Christina Shmigel Thomas Sleet Shane Simmons Buzz Spector Cindy Tower Jon Howard Young Ann Wimsatt Monika Wulfers