We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Josh Friedman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Josh below.
Hi Josh, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
As far back as I can remember.
Looking and seeing the world around me has always been a fascination. There is so much beauty in the world, hopefully I can help people see and observe that.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’ve been making art since my early childhood. Over the years I’ve worked in a range of different medium, and I continue to choose working in that way. Ideas and intent, take precedence over material in my creative practice. I determine which physical material would best work with what I’m trying to convey and proceed from there.
Like many people, I believe In the interconnectedness of things. Often I don’t make the distinction between my creative activities and life in general. One common way I have pursued working over the years is to source and incorporate materials of the particular place where I am creating the new work. Though at first glance, the physical appearance of my work may look unrelated, they are often formally connected in concept and approach.
My curiosity of visual ideas, some being, the concept of edge, fragility, and the point at which line becomes form, have led me to opportunities to complete projects in Asia, Europe and the US. I stray away from categorization, but visually my work might loosely be related to organic abstraction. Often memories of life experiences and nature are starting point for my artwork. Lately my artwork has taken the form of drawings, sculptures, mixed-media works, and installations.
I’m excited by what’s happening in the studio now. I’m creating collage and embossed clayworks that explore light, line and surface pattern. I was invited to Hanoi Architectural University in Vietnam recently where I created two clay floor drawings; one, a sphere measuring 8 1/2 feet in diameter, and the other a rectangle measuring 10 x 12’. Both drawings, conceived on site, related directly to their immediate architectural surroundings. I’ve recently relocated to downtown San Pedro. I open my studio to the public during Art Walks, which happen on the first Thursday evening of each month.
It’s a great workspace. Excited to see how it will impact my artwork.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Supporting small, local businesses and cultural institutions are very important to me. They forge and are an integral part of community. Last December, I started making work at Blue Water Clay, a community ceramics studio in San Pedro. Much of my work takes me either overseas or out of the area so I have not set up a permanent ceramic studio for that reason. Doing so would cost me easily over $100,000. This week I learned that they will be celebrating their seventh anniversary. Wish I had known about this community studio years ago. It’s a gem and an excellent resource.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I’m really grateful as an artist to be able to connect with other people. Sometimes I think artists are part magicians and time travelers. Through the work we create, we can touch and bring joy and meaning to those who experience it. We can bring light to others, and hopefully inspire them to do so as well through their own activities. It’s about energy, really. Find beauty and share it with others. It’s fulfilling, observing viewers overseas, those with whom I don’t share a common language, interact with my artwork. And also unexpectedly hearing back from collectors that my work has been appreciated in their home for decades.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.joshfriedmanart.com
- Instagram: Joshfriedmanart
Image Credits
Josh Friedman