Two Part Interview with Todd Freeman (Part Two)

3 mins read

Todd Freeman, ‘The Owlmen of MawnanHandcolored Copper Etching on Paper, 12″x16″, 2010, from the exhibition ‘As it was before’, with Martin Machado and Aleksandra Zee, January 8th at Gallery Hijinks, San Francisco, CA, www.galleryhijinks.com

(Continued from a previous post)

Natasha Stagg: Tell me about “As it was before.”

Todd Freeman: It’s at Gallery Hijinks in San Francisco and is with Martin Machado and Aleksandra Zee. The drawings are a continuation of a series I started in 2009, small pencil, ink and transfer studies on old book pages. They’re still pretty process oriented, but they’re quick to produce and offer a nice break from the sometimes glacial pace of etching. The new etchings follow a similar format to my earlier ones, but the scale has been amped up a bit, they’ve been really fun to work on. I’ve always loved geological diagrams and cross-sections, and several of the new prints have those kinds of stylized landscapes and earth processes as their main subject matter. Some appearances from folklore beasts and beings of course too, I’m currently trying to finalize a vision of the Mawnan Owlman.

Pictures from the reception.

NS: What else are you up to?

TF: After the show, I’ll likely have to settle into a day job for a bit, but I look forward to catching up with friends, having beer and record money, and finishing up some drawing zines. I’ve been messing with a couple zine ideas for the past few months, I’d like to put them out as small perfect bound books, and eventually produce a full catalogue of prints and drawings. I’m also doing a risograph print for my friend George Wietor’s artist CSA here in Grand Rapids, where buyers can buy into an annual share, and receive an original riso print each month. For next year, I’m going to apply to some different printmaking residencies, ideally finding a match that would take me out of the Midwest for a while.

Early zine stages.

NS: Suggest something to read.

TF: David Quammen’s Monster of God and Wild Thoughts From Wild Places, Loren Eisely’s The Firmament of Time, Scott Weidensaul’s The Ghost With Trembling Wings, and Joel Berger’s The Better To Eat You With.

Todd Freeman, ‘Wapiti’, Graphite on book page, 6×10, 2010