I’m interested in the stuff that flows in and out of our lives through relationships, encounters and experiences. I'm always on alert for materials that others no longer want or find useful. My current project incorporates retired bandsaw blades, reclaimed wood and leftover paint. I use these rather disparate materials to address my desire to find joy and delight in perilous times.
Things percolate as I play and arrange, and I wait for connections to emerge. As hidden meanings are revealed and emotions surface, I seek a deeper understanding of who we are and the places we inhabit.
Gayle Friedman is a largely self-taught mixed media artist who grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. Her art frequently zeros in on inherited, collected and found objects in search of their messages and meaning. Friedman is the recipient of several Artist Fellowship Grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. In 2018, her first solo show, Measuring the Weight of Longing, opened at International Arts and Artists at Hillyer Gallery, Washington, DC. In 2020, she presented her second solo show, The Dangerous Playground, at Red Dirt Studio, Mt. Rainier, MD, where she was an Artist in Residence. In addition to her individual studio practice, Friedman is a contemporary jeweler. She lives and works in the Metro DC area.