Early Spring 2017

Curator: "Early Spring" by Rose Freymuth-Frazier, made in 2017 using oil paints in a plein-air style. It feels almost dreamlike, doesn't it? What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Hmm, the stillness of the water is immediately striking. It’s a kind of mirrored world. But it’s also very subdued, contemplative, even… melancholic, perhaps? There’s something about that muted color palette. Curator: Precisely! The artist certainly aimed to capture a fleeting moment. Those pale pinks and yellows give it an ethereal, romantic quality, despite the underlying realism. There's a vulnerability here. Editor: Yes, and that's echoed in the soft rendering. It looks almost like a half-remembered place. I'm intrigued by how the artist balances realism with something more emotionally evocative. Did she typically focus on landscape? Curator: Landscapes, often en plein air—directly from life. She chases that direct sensory experience. In some ways, she uses the landscape as a springboard for emotional or internal reflection. I believe that Freymuth-Frazier seeks to convey a sense of timelessness, as the boundary dissolves between the natural world and the artist’s soul. Editor: I can see that, especially with the atmospheric perspective here; the distance feels limitless, almost infinite. Visually, the geometry of the tree line and the river bending seems so intentional, creating almost a frame-within-a-frame. Is there some interplay between symbolism of rivers as passages between life and after life for example? Curator: Indeed! The water itself becomes a powerful symbolic motif. We often imagine spring as vibrant and burgeoning with new life but perhaps there's an acceptance that this scene will evolve or shift into something new soon too. She uses the iconography to imply that our own perceptions evolve, so this early spring we see is simply what's within our sight. Editor: It all combines to give this impression of transient beauty. This painting has a real knack for speaking about change and growth! The colors of a soft dusk help solidify this feeling, they are neither threatening or harsh, rather comforting. Curator: Absolutely! It’s a hopeful image despite its quiet mood. I hope listeners feel moved to explore that inner world. Editor: Yes, to look outward at the land is often looking inward too. A simple and timeless idea to end on, thank you.