Serpent Series

Moving off the wall and slithering on the floor, the Serpent Series of Freed paintings redefines what a painting can be and calls into question the definition of sculpture.

Snakes are so “other”, cold blooded, shedding their skin in an ongoing cycle of rebirth.  Add to that the plethora of mythic, religious, and psychological symbology that surrounds them and has accumulated over a millennia and I think they are an ideal metaphor for this new iteration of Freed painting

Yellow Python

THIS IS A PAINTING!

The Serpent Series of Freed paintings redefines what a painting can be as well as calls into question the definition of sculpture. No longer on the wall, the Serpent Series of Freed paintings slither along the floor, breaking down barriers and opening up possibilities.

Serpents are imbued with and emanate an abundance of mythic and psychological connotations. Cold blooded and tasting the air with their forked tongues, serpents are unnerving creatures, if not downright terrifying. Plenty to stimulate the mind and emotions as one considers these unique paintings.

Yellow Python is based on a YouTube video I recently saw where a little girl has an enormous yellow python that she plays with. It is a study in respect and gentleness, not just from human to serpent, but serpent to human in return. It calls into question and defies the scary labels we apply to snakes. Reconsidering serpents and our thoughts and feelings about them is an ideal metaphor for deconstructing and rebuilding expanded definitions of both “painting” and “sculpture”.

Yellow Python is 175” long when fully extended.
Painting completed: 1-6-22. Snake head modified (enlarged) 1-20-22

Albino Python (Pink)

I saw a YouTube video of a pink toned albino python in its habitat and was compelled to render it as a painting. Serpents have a sinister reputation because we humans placed that undeserved label on them. It isn’t true, but their nature is so “other” that it is hard for us humans to relate. A behavior that intrigues me about snakes is how they shed their skin. It is like an ongoing series of rebirths, second chances. I find that ability extremely fascinating.

The Serpent Series redefines what a painting can be and calls into question the definition of sculpture.

Albino Python (Pink) is 163” long when fully extended.

Painting completed: 1-10-22. The original painting was destroyed and replaced by the current iteration. The original was made from a mixture of white, pink and grey acrylic medium/paint. The new painting is made from a pearlized lilac acrylic medium/paint that appears white but renders a pink hue when viewed at the right angle. It is like the glimmer of color that snakes’ scales give off. Visually captivating.

Revised painting completed: 1-25-22.

Albino Python (Green)

The Freed paintings of the Serpent Series redefine what a painting can be and calls into question the definition of “sculpture”.

Albino Python (Green) is made of a pearlized green acrylic paint that renders a fascinating optical effect as you walk around the painting as it lays on the floor. Initially, the painting has a white look to it, but as you move around the painting you catch hues of green that makes for a magical visual experience.

Snakes are so “other”. I think they are ideal metaphors for this new iteration of Freed painting.

Painting completed 1-18-22
Albino Python (Green) is 174” long when fully extended

Orange Boa follows in the theme of the other Serpent Series Freed paintings, redefining what a painting can be and expanding the possibilities in the field of Fine Art Painting.

It is amazing the abundance of exotically colored serpents in the world.  Color and pattern play diverse rolls in the natural world, from warning to attraction.  I hope my Serpent paintings convey that subtle character, along with all the other fascination and phobia that accompanies slithering creatures.

Painting completed 4-7-22

Orange Boa is 148” long when fully extended.

Green Viper

Green Viper is inspired by a beautiful green rattlesnake I saw in a YouTube video.  Snakes get such a bad rap, but it is because they are so misunderstood.  As in life, we must shed the cloak of ignorance if we are to see the light of truth.

While I was making this painting, I thought a lot about how snakes shed their skin.  Over a lifetime, they are reborn many times as they grow and mature. 

There is a Buddhist saying, “We make no mistakes in life, if we learn from them”.  The shedding of a snake’s skin struck me as a lovely metaphor for the transformation of a “mistake” into a “lesson”, if we are open to learning. 

I have made many mistakes in my life.  I will continue to do so because I am human.  One of the beauties of the human experience is our capability for forgiveness and a chance at redemption.  Like snakes, we have the opportunity to shed the error of our ways and embrace more virtuous paths.  Thank goodness for second chances. . .   

Painting completed 8-19-22

Green Viper is 144” long when fully extended

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