In the Studio with Michael Friedes

By Jackie Lee | Sun Fine Arts — 

Michael Friedes has a unique understanding of art from multiple viewpoints. He obtained his BFA in Film from NYU, became an interior designer, was appointed Creative Director of Pottery Barn Kids, and was proprietor of an art gallery in Sonoma, all while being a prolific abstract painter. Along the way he lived in the East Bay and San Francisco before moving to Sonoma.

“I was so ready to move out of San Francisco. My office and studio were in the Mission District, and it felt like a war zone, plus, everything is so expensive in the City. It was during the height of Covid. For a while I sheltered with family members in Healdsburg, and that experience solidified my desire to live in the country, specifically Sonoma, which I had always loved.”

It’s close enough to San Francisco for him to maintain an interior design business two days a week.

“I moved here in June 2020, and four months later I signed a three-month lease to open a small art gallery on East Napa Street. At the end of that period, I realized I needed more time to go through each season to see what it would be like, so I stayed longer than the three months.”

It all became more complicated than he anticipated. He wasn’t accustomed to working five days a week, all day, including weekends, in one spot, so he closed the gallery. “I’m glad I did it, though, because I would always have wondered about it. I can look back and say I’ve never regretted something I’ve done, only the things I didn’t do. And I did get important design jobs from it.”

Currently he’s working on three commissions, which he’s able to do in between paintings and exhibitions.

Michael takes full advantage of the magical light he sees in Sonoma. His abstract landscapes are full of bright hues and energetic placement of yin/yang complementary colors for maximum effect. “Artistically, I love this area for its hills and vineyards and the beautiful light. It all gives me peace and joy at the same time. I’ve never had a bad day here.”

His large canvases are stunning creations, but he paints other sizes when the whim strikes him. “I enjoy producing small-size paintings, I call them little gems.” He is working on a new series of small paintings of loosely constructed landscapes for an upcoming exhibition, taking full advantage of garnet reds, turquoise, and pops of orange. They are quite spectacular.

“I’m lucky to have a great social life with wonderful neighbors, and able to work quietly and comfortably in my home studio, with music of course being essential.”

Inspiration, Michael says, is all about emotion. “How I feel as I’m painting and what comes out of me. I record ideas that I see when I drive around the luscious landscapes of Sonoma and keep them in my memory bank for future use. I use those ideas, and then I embellish a lot.”

He will be a busy person for a few months. First, he has a solo show for three consecutive weekends in April at the Piedmont Art Center. Following that, in May, there are plans for him to teach a four-week abstracted acrylics landscapes course at the Sonoma Community Center. And he was accepted to be one of the Artists in Residence at The Chateau in Ardennes, France, for two weeks in March 2023. That’s quite a coup.

Jackie Lee is a Sonoma-based artist and writer. [email protected].