Interview with Brian Freer with an Introduction by Margaret Richardson
Beech Bark with Shadows, College Woods, Williamsburg, 2020, Archival inkjet, 24 × 14 in and 35 x 21.5 in, Editions 1-15 of 15 + 2AP. VIEW
Lessons of nature are evident in the photography of Brian Freer. For Freer, “photography is a meditative act.” Zooming in on nature, he forces viewers to focus on the details of the world around us. Close ups of tree bark and their textures, marks, and growths, as seen in Japanese Scholar Tree (2021), look like aerial views of larger landscapes, especially in the context of other scenes that depict trees, mountains, and waterways from a distance. Such a long view is seen in Greensprings Swamp (2020) which places viewers in the reflective water where the clouds in the sky look like ripples in the swamp. Creating a mirror image of sky and trees, the scene is disorienting yet pleasing in its symmetry and balance of light and shadow, earth and sky.
Greensprings Swamp, 2020, Archival inkjet, 24 × 14 in and 35 x 21.5 in, Editions 1-15 of 15 + 2AP. VIEW ON ARTSY. VIEW ON ARTSY
Powhatan Creek I, 2021, Archival inkjet, 14 × 24 in, Editions 1-15 of 15 + 2AP. VIEW ON ARTSY
A similarly serendipitous synergy is evident in Beech Bark with Shadows, College Woods, Williamsburg (2020) in which the tree’s mottled surface assumes the illusion of skin. While much of this work focuses on the natural world, its connection to the body and its role in locating one’s self in the world connects with other photographers in Matney’s collection.
Margaret Richardson, PhD
LMG: How is shooting landscapes like shooting street portraits for you?
BMF: My approach to photographing the natural world lately is similar to street photography. I’m not setting up a tripod and waiting for the perfect light or doing long exposures. I’m also not spending a lot of time editing the files. I shoot a scene and move on. I travel light; typically one camera and one lens at a time. This allows me to fly off when the moment is over and find new subjects to focus my attention on. It’s not about seeing something every time I go out shooting. But most of the time if I’m in the right frame of mind something will lure me in.
Fallen II: York River Shore, 2021, Archival inkjet, 14 × 14 in ,, Editions 1-15 of 15 + 2AP. VIEW ON ARTSY
LMG: Is shooting a bit like a meditative experience for you ? Do you consciously prepare yourself prior to shooting?
BMF: There is a restlessness that I think many artists share. An insecurity in our ability to fully express what we see, experience or feel accurately. For me, it’s a fear that I will never have this moment again. It’s almost compulsive in its nature. This feeling is released when I plunge the shutter button on something that draws my attention. It certainly has a meditative quality to it. As far as preparation is concerned. Everything is forgotten when I’m walking with my camera.
Depleted Cotton Wood Pods, Matoaka Woods, 2021, Archival inkjet, 24 × 14 in and 35 x 21.5 in, Editions 1-15 of 15 + 2AP. VIEW ON ARTSY
LMG: Sort of intuition and instinct are at play?
BMF: Yes, I’ve gotten to the point where the camera is an extension of not just my experience, but an extension of my voice. So instinct plays a large role in my approach. I suppose it is my approach. There is a piece of me, my experience in every image I produce. But they are the things percolating up from my subconscious. It’s not until I review the image that I truly know what that is, and most of the time I never know, and that is okay.
Jamestown Island from Back Creek Shore, 2021, Archival inkjet, 24 × 14 in and 35 x 21.5 in, Editions 1-15 of 15 + 2AP. VIEW ON ARTSY
College Creek, 2021, Archival inkjet, 12 × 36 in, 30.5 × 91.4 cm,
Editions 1-15 of 15 + 2AP.
LMG: How does your mood play a role in your art?
BMF: For me, art is an expression of life’s ups and downs and everything in between. As artists, I think it’s useful to ask what brought us here to the creation of this image. It puts the work in a personal context. And for me it’s not always going after what is commonly regarded as beautiful.
Greenbrier (Smilax Rotundifolia) | York River State Park, Virginia, 2020, Archival inkjet, 24 × 14 in and 35 x 21.5 in, Editions 1-15 of 15 + 2AP. VIEW
LMG: What artists and art forms influence you?
BMF: To be honest, I’m not much of an art historian, but I have many influences from painters, sculptors, photographers and writers. Essentially every bit of media I’ve ever consumed has influenced my work. Sometimes these influences can be burdensome. I’ve realized, as many others have, that it’s good to leave the intellectual and visual baggage behind to allow room for new ideas.
Taskinas Creek and Marsh | York River State Park | , 2020, Archival inkjet, 14 × 24 in, 35.6 × 61 cm, Editions 1-15 of 15 + 2AP. VIEW ON ARTSY
LMG: What do you want collectors to know about your work?
BMF: In my experience good art thrives in the extremes because it speaks to our fears and desires. Times like the ones we are in right now. We appear to be moving in a direction where art could become heavily restricted. Intent and expression are beginning to be measured and studied. It’s only by being prolific that we influence culture. Art can be seen to have a positive and negative impact to our society because artists are just as susceptible as anyone to the mistakes of good-intentions. Many artists get worried about what others think. I think the best way to approach it is that you have to do it as often as you can, and not pay any mind to what anyone says. Just discover what you love and where you want to be.
Barnacles: York River Shore, 2021, Archival inkjet, 24 × 14 in and 35 x 21.5 in, Editions 1-15 of 15 + 2AP. VIEW
Solitude,, 2020, Archival inkjet, 24 × 14 in and 35 x 21.5 in, Editions 1-15 of 15 + 2AP. VIEW
LMG: How do you choose your subject-matter?
BMF: When you carry a camera enough, you are going to build a portfolio of what you have chosen to experience. But there is also a spontaneity about my work in that I don’t know what I will discover. The best advise I’d give anyone is that you just have to keep trying to express yourself. I seek out things that inspire my natural curiosity and move me psychologically. I’ve also found a lot of value in exploring other mediums — painting, sculpture, writing. This has helped add depth to my work because my understanding of the world deepens with each new experience and challenge.
Wounded Poplar, 2021, Archival inkjet, 14 × 24 in and 21.5 x 35 in, Editions 1-15 of 15 + 2AP. VIEW ON ARTSY
LMG: Where do you see your work heading?
BMF: For me it’s important to always be creating new work and to be excited about it. As soon as I feel like I’m repeating myself I’m compelled to move onto to something else. For right now I will continue paying attention to what the world is conjuring for me at least until the universe tells me to move onto something different. You could say that every piece I make adds to my understanding of the world around us. That’s useful to help push us in new directions. Where that is is anyone’s best guess.
Snow Dusted Saplings, 2021, Archival inkjet, 24 × 14 in and 35 x 21.5 in, Editions 1-15 of 15 + 2AP. VIEW ON ARTSY
Additional Work by Brian Freer
Brian Freer, Untitled | Shenandoah National Park, 2021, Archival inkjet, 16 × 16 in, Editions 1-15 of 15 + 2AP. VIEW
