Qualia, a term used in philosophy, refers to the subjective or qualitative properties of experiences. In other words, qualia are the attributes of something—its feel or appearance rather than the thing itself.
My series, "Qualia", is rooted in that ideology—an acknowledgement that no two people will experience my paintings in the same way. It is also a continuation of my exploration of visual perception and cognition through the interaction of color within the confines of symmetrical patterning.
Color is not static. Its appearance is modified by its relationship to other colors. I use that effect to challenge the predictability inherent in patterns through the juxtaposition and modulation of value and hue. The objective term for this effect is simultaneous contrast; the subjective phenomenon is qualia.
Artist Biography
Karen Freedman is recognized for her vibrant abstract geometric paintings that explore the interaction of color and its ability to alter perception. She began her formal art training studying jewelry design at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and graphic design at the Tyler School of Art. Ms. Freedman then went on to build a successful graphic design business followed by her immersion in the fine arts.
Ms. Freedman has exhibited both locally and nationally at venues that include Cape Cod Museum of Art, Endicott College, Hunterdon Art Museum, The Gallery at Penn State Great Valley, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Art Center Sarasota, Kimball Art Center, and the George Segal Gallery, Montclair State University. Her paintings are included in the permanent collections at Park Towne Place Premier Apartments, and Temple University’s Howard Gittis Student Center. Ms Freedman’s work is featured in the books "Encaustic With a Textile Sensibility" by Daniella Woolf, "Encaustic Art (Art of the Century)" by Jennifer Margell, and "Encaustic Art in the Twenty-First Century" by Anne Lee & E. Ashley Rooney, as well as numerous exhibition catalogs.
Education
2002 - Present Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2018 Organic to Geometric, Investigations in Structure and Surface, Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Provincetown, MA, Exhibition Catalog 2018, magcloud.com
2015 Pattern Geometric |Organic, exhibition catalog published by Space Gallery, Denver, CO
Organic to Geometric: Investigations in Surface and Structure, Heftler Gallery, Endicott College, Beverly, MA Introduction by curator Carol Pelletier
2013 Swept Away: Translucence, Transparence, Transcendence in Contemporary Encaustic, Exhibition Catalog, Hunterdon Art Museum, Clinton, NJ
Swept Away: Translucence, Transparence, Transcendence in Contemporary Encaustic, Exhibition Catalog, Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, MA
Belto, Michelle, In the Encaustic Studio DVD, North Light Media and ArtistsNetwork.tv Production, 2013
Margell, Jennifer, Encaustic Art (Art of the Century), Parkstone Press, New York, NY, 2013
2009 Prime, Exhibition Catalog, James Oliver Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Encaustic Works ‘09, Exhibition Catalog
Collection
Insaco Inc, Quakertown, PA Michael Gerald Ltd., New York City, NY Park Towne Place Premier Apartments, Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia Energy Solutions, Philadelphia, PA Temple University, Howard Gittis Student Center, Philadelphia, PA The Goldenberg Group, Blue Bell, PA
Various private collections
Affiliation
Space Gallery, Denver, CO The Center for Emerging Visual Artists
Exhibitions
Solo
2019 Waxing Lyrical, Space Gallery, Denver, CO
Art in the Storefront, Ambler, PA
Group
2019 Momentum, Space ANNEX, Wayne, PA
2018 Geometry in Color, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA
2018 Juried Show, Abington Art Center, Abington, PA
Organic to Geometric, Investigations in Structure and Surface, Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Provincetown, MA
2017 Depth Perception, Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, MA
Cerulean Arts Invitational, Cerulean Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2016 The Best of 2016, Space Gallery, Denver, CO
Encaustic Art in the Twenty-first Century Book Signing and Group Exhibition, Galer Estate Vineyard & Winery, Kennett Square, PA
2015 MathThematic: A Fine Art Exhibition, Esther Klein Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Patterns, The Art Trust at Meridian Bank, West Chester, PA
Group Exhibit, Schoolhouse Gallery, Cape Cod, MA
Minimal/Maximum, Ninth International Encaustic Conference, Truro Center for the Arts, Cape Cod, MA
Pattern: Geometric | Organic, Space Gallery, Denver, CO
Organic to Geometric: Investigations in Structure and Surface, Heftler Visiting Artist Gallery, Endicott College, Beverly, MA Curated by Carol Pelletier
2014 RSVP 2014, LG Tripp Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Swept Away: Translucence, Transparence, Transcendence in Contemporary Encaustic, Hunterdon Art Museum, Clinton NJ
2013 Obscure/Reveal, James Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
Reverberance, Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Swept Away: Translucence, Transparence, Transcendence in Contemporary Encaustic, Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, MA
Cumulative Force, The Gallery at R&F, Kingston, NY
Symmetry, Joseph & Marilyn Henry Gallery, Penn State Great Valley, Malvern, PA
2012 Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2012, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
2012 Muse Invitational, Muse Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2011 WOW!: Women & Wax, Art Center Sarasota, Sarasota, FL
Encaustic With a Textile Sensibility, Kimball Art Center, Park City, UT
Beeline, Fifth International Encaustic Conference, Kobalt Gallery, Provincetown, MA
