Artist's Reception for Andy Friedlander

BelleWood Acres will be hosting an artist's reception for local artist Andy Friedlander, whose art will be up in our gallery for the months of May and June. Andy Friedlander was born and raised in New York City. He and his family have called the Skagit Valley home since 1964. Andy studied painting, theatre and music at Earlham College and found his medium in the theatre. After receiving his Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama, he had a successful 45 year career in the professional and educational theatre – the last 26 years as Director the Skagit Valley College Drama Program.Upon retirement from the college, Andy devoted himself to painting. First, creating abstract works in acrylics followed by more realistic/impressionistic work in oils. At the core of his work is the fundamental interaction of color and shape, taught to him by his first acting teacher, Mitsuo Kakutani, a Japanese landscape artist and abstract painter. This teaching leads to an impressionistic use of color and a free form approach to realism. Andy draws inspiration from the Northwest landscape and its inhabitants. He currently studies with Colleen Hoffenbacker, a professional artist living in Bellingham. Andy began taking photographs to provide subjects for painting. Realizing that the camera could capture elements of detail not possible in a painting, he began using the camera to capture close-up and complex images in nature – primarily flowers. Most fascinating is the inside of the flower, which seems to pop out to the viewer with sufficient backlighting. Andy’s passion for music finds an outlet with the Prozac Mtn. Boys. Together for the last 20 years, they are an active bluegrass band that has played at Bellewood Acres many times.