Harrison Freeman's Ugly Girl 4

Ampersand has been doing great things for a while now, often discovering new talent. In presenting Harrison Freeman's Both Sides Now it looks like they are at it again. Freeman is obsessed with zombies and horror genres with a tad of that Storm Tharp effect... only without any of the washy ink effects with the wicked line work... GOOD decision!

The gallery's PR states: "Brightly colored & grounded in a nostalgic love of zombies & monsters, the Dukes of Hazzard & comic books, Freeman's gallery of garish portraits is inspired by (& even drawn on) found photographs of people long dead. 'It started when I was in Berlin scouring flea markets for old photos,' notes Freeman. 'I was buying pictures of people I thought looked especially strange or creepy & then tried to magnify that in the drawings I was making.' The initial result was a series of 50 snapshot photos, on the backs of which Freeman drew & painted often grotesque interpretations of the front-side figures. Arranged in a large grid at the gallery, the installation is interactive in that we are able to flip from front to back in a comparative viewing experience. As an impetus for a larger body of work, these snapshot sketches have been edited & refined in Freeman's new collection of drawings & paintings. Zeroing in on favorite faces, his works on wood panel & yellowed found paper amplify the distinct folds of skin, bulging eyes, toothy smiles & hair gone awry that are singular to the best & worst of found photographic relics."

Harrison Freeman | Both Sides Now
January 31 - February 24, 2013
Opening Reception: January 31 | 6 - 10PM
Ampersand
2916 NE Alberta St