ordinary. extraordinary. New works by Natalie Friedman

Please join The Compound Gallery April 20 at 4 p.m. for some lively conversation with Natalie Friedman, the artist behind the beautifully kaleidoscopic paintings in: ordinary. extraordinary.

The gallery will offer refreshments, and a chance to hear Natalie talk about inspirations, themes and influences behind her first solo show, as well as her process of building layers, and letting memory and impressions guide the process. The finished pieces are not literal representations of specific spaces, but abstracted reflections that ask: What if the cubist, surrealist, and fauvist movements had been populated by women and used to interpret the wonders of everyday life?

The Compound Gallery is proud to host this ongoing series of Artist Talks, and invites you to be a part of the vibrant Bay Area art community.  The event is free, and all are welcome.

Ordinary. Extraordinary. highlights Friedman’s collection of captivating paintings that emerge from a moment of observation—a rendezvous with light, shape, and color— capturing these occasions, and interpreting these commonplace scenes into abstract tableaus. This show also showcases a refreshing collection of charming paintings on paper created in the span of one month. These small works offer synopsized glimpses into the artist’s perceived everyday moments. Ordinary. Extraordinary. promises a captivating exploration of the ordinary through the lens of an extraordinary artistic vision. Guided by memory and impression, Friedman creates works that stand as a visual reminder to appreciate the present, wherever that may be. Born and raised in the East Bay, Friedman graduated from UCLA in fine arts in 1990. After many years working in a home studio, she moved into the Compound Studio in November 2022, and this body of work is the result of the move.