In her inaugural exhibition at the John Natsoulas Gallery, March 15 – April 15, Marcy Friedman demonstrates her fascination with the figure. Although the paintings feature portraits of Friedman’s friends and colleagues in the art world and of well-known community leaders and politicians in the greater Sacramento region, the paintings concentrate more on the figure in space than on pure portraiture. It is Friedman’s ability to capture the spirit of the individual in a hyper-realistic manner and still show their humanity that is the basis of her work.

Friedman, extensively educated on the history of textiles, integrates textile designs into her paintings: in the towels or blankets against which the model sits or reclines, on the clothing, or on a background for the seated or reclining figure. Pat Mahoney says of Friedman: “She’s a student of the figure and is interested in the figure in space.”

Friedman, originally from Hawaii, took her first life drawing class at Stanford (class of 1956), and later studied at Sacramento City College and with artist Benny Barrios, an icon of the period. She continued her art studies until, in 1973, when she turned her attention to family needs and to playing an important role in community art affairs. It is for our great benefit that in 2012 Friedman again took up her painting, helping form a group of figurative painters who meet regularly at Pat Mahony’s studio to paint the nude figure. The group has included Pat Mahony, Boyd Gavin, Fred Dalkey, Marcy Friedman, and Jian Wang.