Valleys of Gold 2017

Rose Freymuth-Frazier’s “Valleys of Gold” seems to hover between representation and abstraction, somewhere in the realm of landscape. The painting is bathed in a gorgeous, all-over golden light; the scene is entirely sun-drenched. The brushwork is soft and blurred, with warm hues creating a hazy atmosphere. Look closely, and you might discern trees, water, and distant hills. It’s as if the whole scene is dissolving into a dream. I wonder if Freymuth-Frazier was thinking of Turner, or maybe Whistler, when she made this? I can imagine the artist working en plein air, trying to capture the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. Maybe she squinted to simplify shapes and intensify colors, making the familiar strange. It’s a feeling, rather than a place, a memory of a landscape filtered through the emotions. Painting is an ongoing conversation with the past, an invitation to see the world anew, and “Valleys of Gold” whispers to me.