I am delighted to be included in the Juried Show, Small Expressions 19, at Northwind Arts Center in Port Townsend December 3- 27, and am honored that the juror, Jeff Olson, awarded my photograph, Sand Painting #5, with a Merit Award. You can view the exhibit virtually and hear the Juror Talk here.

I appreciated Jeff Olson’s indepth analysis of my photograph, Sand Painting #5, during his Juror’s talk.

“For me, transformation lay at the heart of what makes art meaningful. When objects or materials are in what I call a “state of becoming”. That moment between what they are and what they might be. It is related to what is known as pareidolia, seeing familiar shapes or patterns in otherwise random or disparate objects. But more importantly, it relates to how we create and perceive works of art. In Sand Painting #5, by Kathy Fridstein, what we find quite simply are the remnants of surf grass on the beach. The detail, texture and fineness of grain are enough to draw one in, and as we continue to look, we uncover much more, and that physical impulse to decipher and define, to imagine, take us on a wonderous journey of discovery. The previous life of the grass is echoed in its final resting, it seems to still be tossing at sea, like one of Turner’s ships in a storm. There is a mischievous spirited quality like that of an otter or seal at play. The contrast of textures between the grass and sand, create the sense of being lifted into flight, like the breaching of a whale. Or maybe it’s just a lump of surf grass on the beach. To find good subjects for art, the artist need not look any further than what lay at their feet. It is the making that elevates the subject to art, not the subject that elevates the making of art.”
—Jeff Olson, juror, Small Expressions 19, Northwind Arts Center, December 2020