Whether it
’s sculpture, film, an oil painting, bronze, stone, clay,
plastics, ceramics or even a tapestry, Bob Freimark makes sure he
conveys a message.
Whether it’s sculpture, film, an oil painting, bronze, stone, clay, plastics, ceramics or even a tapestry, Bob Freimark makes sure he conveys a message.
Freimark makes no bones about it; his art work is thought-provoking. His sculpture of a woman hanging by a hook is a good example. Entitled “Figuras Espendida,” it’s dramatic and opens people’s eyes to the “disappeared” – 30,000 people that simply vanished – believed by many to be killed by a corrupt government in Argentina.
“In good pieces, I want to provoke people to think in humane ways. We all inhabit this planet and should stop fighting for it,” said Freimark.
Freimark, who describes himself as a contemporary expressionist that works with all media, is one of Morgan Hill’s highly regarded artists. Some call him the “contemporary Picasso,” but he corrects them – saying, unlike Picasso, who was an abstract painter too, but primarily a figure painter who dealt with rigid color patterns, he is more like Matisse. Freimark even named his son after the famous French artist, whom he describes as a “colorist, an exhibitionist with colors that are alive and vibrant with his paintings.”
He is also the traditional painter, who will sit in someone’s backyard overlooking the view of El Toro and paint the scene on his canvas.
“I experience the flavor of the moment so it’s felt in the landscape. You got to feel the ants running up your legs, the sweat running down your neck – it’s all part of the experience and the picture you paint,” said Freimark.
Born in Michigan, Freimark grew up in northern Ohio, and has lived all over the U.S. and traveled the world. He is an artist and teacher by profession and has taught art everywhere, including San Jose State University.
Freimark said he was five years old when he discovered he had a talent in art and that he could make a living from his drawings. He tells the amusing tale of being enthralled seeing Lindbergh fly his plane across the sky in 1927, that he rode one of the first WACO airplanes at the county fair with his father for $2 a piece and then trading his drawings of the plane for marbles, shooters, traps and jack knives.
Living in Toledo, he was among several students selected to take art classes paid for by the city at the museum. In high school, he was art editor of the yearbook. Then WWII came and a stint in the Navy. At sea, he would draw pictures of his buddies’ sweethearts and traded these drawings for cigarettes.
Art took a more serious turn when Freimark pursued an art degree at Toledo University and then graduate studies at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. It also became a little more lucrative. His works have been shown in over 350 museums all over the world. He has produced four documentaries, which have received awards. “Los Desaparecidos,” which he released in 2004, about the abuse in Argentina, received the special gold medal at the World Fest in Houston, the Freedom Medal in Atlanta and the Remi award (after the famous artist Frederick Remington) this summer.
Freimark is currently working on a solo exhibition which will feature a total of 90 pieces of his art work in all media next October, 2006. Sixty pieces of artwork will be exhibited at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in east San Jose; 30 will be shown at San Jose State University.
Morgan Hill makes a perfect setting for his work, he said, and there is a camaraderie of artists in the area. Freimark is among many artists in the community that believes Morgan Hill can be a destination center for art in the South Bay area.
Freimark moved to Morgan Hill in 1964, with wife, Lillian, because they wanted to raise their children – Christine, and later, Matisse, on a farm. Lillian taught at the Morgan Hill Unified School District for many years and retired in 1986. She died suddenly in June.
Freimark said he misses his wife, whom he described as “so alive, a picture of life itself.” Describing her, he expressed what many artists want to convey.
“Artists want to find a way through life without necessarily being part of the capitalist culture,” said Freimark. “We yearn to invest the simple things into our life, from how to make your own food to recognizing the beauty of what’s around us and bring it into our homes. … The night before she died, she was at Tahoe, playing in the snow. It had suddenly snowed and she was just so happy.”
Describing himself as still a teacher, Freimark noted, “A good art teacher teaches lessons – how to perceive, to see, to think, to interpret the unexpected … We live in such a technical age which makes people walk faster, our works make them stop and look around and take in that beauty.”
And the time to do this is now, said Freimark.
Rose Meily is the City Editor for the Morgan Hill Times. Reach her at 779-4106 ext. 201 or by e-mail at rm****@*************es.com
