July / Dorothy Freudenberg—”Transitions”

Poppies Waking From a Dream

D O R O T H Y  F R E U D E N B E R G

Opening July 4, from 3-7pm during the Old Mill District First Friday Gallery Walk,
Dorothy’s digital media explores this compelling theme.

There are many kinds of transitions—personal change, land to water, season to season, riverbank to land to name just a few—they permeate our lives.
In this retrospective, Dorothy has assembled images that represent all of these types of transitions.

Blue Winter Garden

“This piece is about the transition from one season to the next. In today’s world, one season seems as rushed as the next in a flurry of self-conscious activity.
This piece harkens back to a time when the Winter season was one of reflection, rest, and inward-looking contemplation.
A time to digest and sit on what we have done, using those realizations to look into the future.”

Over the Rainbow

“With the name of Dorothy, it is no wonder that the golden path beckons to me. Dorothy’s journey was learning that there was
no place to go. That meaning was within her all along. And who was there as a reminder? Toto.
The name means ‘in its entirety’. You are and have all that you need. No need to consult the Wizard.
Toto also means little. And Toto’s role is to reveal and provide safety. He pulls the curtain aside to reveal the deception of the Wizard.
After which, “There’s no place like home.”  Wherever that may be.
I actually have a winding brick road that leads to my front door. How cool is that?”

Sunset Through the Trees

“This piece references the transition from daytime to nighttime, the magical time of day when sunset changes the landscape
in every moment. The golden light of magic. The other transition that this represents is the inclusion of AI imagery.
When photography first appeared, people stated it could never be art–it simply records. Now I can photograph
a texture and incorporate it into my work, or I can generate it through AI. For my purposes,
there is no difference in where the image comes from. It is merely a starting point. What I do with it from there is the ART
part of the equation. Pieces like this would not occur in any other way. The appropriate use of
AI opens many creative doors. And yes, it can also be abused, like any technology. “

Season of Transitions

“This piece was created in a critical time in my life. I had left my inspiring rural setting and was immersed in an ordinary
tract home in Bend after a divorce. What will I do, I asked myself, inasmuch as my inspiration came from land
and gardens and beauty around me? How do I create where I have none of that? And for the first time,
I faced a blank screen. And this is what happened. At that point, I finally realized that inspiration can have external cues,
but it can be entirely internally generated. That would be a significant understanding that
dramatically changed how I explored creativity. It was my own transition in so many ways.”

Experience Transitions alongside Dorothy as each of the 13 images in this exhibit represent personal and artistic growth,
as well as incidents in her life and her responses to the environment, which she records regularly.
The exhibit might be viewed as a personal journal of years past, as well as offering a glimpse into the future.
Dorothy’s goal as an artist is to constantly grow and experience ever-increasing subtlety of “seeing”
and expression, both as a visual artist and musician.