Kathryn Freeman’s fourth fall exhibition, “Animal Dreams” has magically become virtual. While Kathryn’s magical realism paintings have always been sanctuaries for people escaping everyday life, they are now sanctuaries for the animals in this new series. Her beloved animals are enjoying bedtime stories, dancing to a cello, and entertaining their owners while they all stay at home. Viewers love the peace and calmness created by Kathryn’s paintings, and with our crazy year, 2020, these themes are even more pertinent.
Kathryn Freeman is a narrative figure painter who combines her classical composition with fantasy backgrounds to create magical realism paintings. She works with mediums, such as oil on canvas, gouache, and pastel. In 1984, she moved to Warsaw, Poland, with her journalist husband. She was inspired by the symbolism and allegorical characteristics of Polish culture, as well as the architecture and public parks in Warsaw.
Freeman moved to London in 1987, and returned to the US in 1993. She then turned to one of her favorite subjects, the narrative interior, or what she calls ‘the painted story.’
“I have always been interested in the writings of Carl Jung and the idea that there is a language of archetypal images or symbols that can be interpreted universally…certain images that appear repeatedly in my paintings… all from everyday life but also ones that kindle deeper interpretation. The settings of my paintings are almost always gleaned from my immediate surroundings and personal experiences. In all my work, the composition is structured to support and clarify the narrative, whether it is by means of a classical frieze or an arrangement of geometric forms and linear perspective. My greatest intention, and reason for painting, is to express something both meaningful and truthful about the human condition.”