Creator Record
Images
Metadata
Name |
Freeman, Edith |
Dates & places of birth and death |
b. 1913 Broadview, Montana d. 1992 Billings, Montana |
Nationality |
American |
Notes |
Edith Freeman was born on May 1, 1913 near Broadview, Montana and died December 22, 1992 in Billings, Montana. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Montana College in 1954 which followed with her Masters of Science in 1961. Over the years she taught at many elementary schools in eastern Montana. retiring in 1971 after teaching for over thirty years. Few other artists are as deeply attuned to the subtleties of the Eastern Montana as Edith Freeman. She was a master of the difficult technique of reduction woodcut printing. Through this difficult process she was able to respond to a variety of forms and natural textures while translating the values of colors into an array of personalized blended hues. Originally a painter, Freeman first experimented with woodcut techniques in the 1960’s. She was intrigued by the effects and also by the surprises in the process. She began developing her own techniques for printing multiple colors with a single block. Edith describes her process, "Guided by a drawing that has penetrated the raw wood, I carve and print in a succession of steps in the development of the piece. Color choices are made according to the subject and the felt needs of the composition as it develops. It is a tricky process, and I have devised several means to get me out of trouble. In printing, I use a simple hand method of laying on the ink. With not fully opaque ink, and varying pressures, and ink over ink, I can get interesting textures." Edith Freeman drew inspiration form the landscape of her native Montana. She modeled familiar subjects- iris, yucca, sage, sandstone outcroppings, and wooded clearings. Freemans’ images are descriptively faithful but also sophisticated compositions in which color massing and spatial definition are manipulated for expressive purposes. Her best prints convey a feeling for place and at the same time succeed as formally engaging abstractions. Excerpted from Edith Freeman Retrospective Gordon McConnell, Senior Curator Yellowstone Art Museum 1993 |
Role |
Artist |
