Keith Freedman the painter?

I've been meaning to post this for some time, but life has been busy. About a year ago, I received an email from someone who owns one of Keith's paintings. He's the director of a prestigious gallery here n NYC. His email read:

Dear Keith, 

I went to UMASS in 1984. If you were a painter back then, I have one of your paintings which I got when painting school was throwing out some works. It's a painting of two women bathing—one woman hidden behind a screen—the colors are pinks and green, very Louis Valtat esq. I have kept it all these many years. It's been in NYC 20 years now (since 1996). 

Are you the same Keith Freedman as inscribed on the back of the painting? I can send you an image if you like? It's 46 x 36 inches. 

All the best,
Eric

The email came to me as I kept Keith's portfolio website up and running for several years. Of course, I responded immediately, told him the sad news about Keith, and of course asked to see the painting.

In a follow-up email, Eric wrote:

Hi Michael. Attached is an image of my Keith Freedman. Everyone always compliments me about it, guests and clients who visit my home in Brooklyn and my entire family is fascinated that I still have the work and haven’t sold it. It’s so good- it will live with me forever.

When I received the photo, I was in awe. It's so beautiful, and so Keith. Of course I asked — hope against hope — if I could purchase the painting. (I only have one of Keith's works, an abstract, but I've always loved his figurative pieces). I don't blame Eric for not wanting to let go of it.

The painting is so very trademark Keith Freedman. The geometry, the flattened space, the sophisticated palette, and the purity of the moment. And this was done when he was an undergrad. I like to imagine what Keith would be painting today.

In any event, I'm sorry I haven't posted recently, and that I waited so long to share this with Keith's friends and family. It's nice to know that Keith's work is still around, still appreciated.

A note from a friend

Last week I received an email from a kind soul named Thomas. You can read it below. Nice to know that Keith's memory lives on. I have two of Keith's paintings and would love to find one of his amazing portraits.

Dear Micheal

I am Thomas from Switzerland and found your site as I was searching for „Keith Freedman”.

20 years ago, I bought a little picture of a “fish” and some T-Shirts and the “Order Form” during a business trip to Boston.  Located in the “Marriot” near the beautiful “Waterfront Park” and “Quincy Market”.

I was exploring Boston by foot and I think, it was in the “Waterfront Park” where I found this Faneuil Hall sales cart.

I saw the painted laughing “Fish” and cannot keep my eyes away and make me smiling. (What I always do since then, when I look on it)

It is very sad, to read that Keith is no longer with us… .

If you want, you can put the photo of the picture on the homepage.  For all his Friends to remember and smile.

Kind regards from Switzerland.

Thomas

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

My Ever Changing Moods

Listening to My Ever Changing Moods by Style Council and remembering that Keith once told me how much he loved this song. It was one of those moments in our friendship when I realized how much we have in common, as this was one of my favorite songs back in the 80s.

As you probably know, Keith was also an avid fan of finding new music (often on KCRW), and once chided me for "being stuck in the 80s" even though I found almost as much new music as he did.

Which also reminds me of a time, shortly before he passed away, when we were driving through the canyon in his new Saab, and he had KCRW playing on the car radio. He said his car had an internet connection and he was streaming music over the air. I was blown away, thinking I knew all the latest technology, when he started laughing in that Keith way and telling me it was actually playing through his iPod. As usual, Keith got the last laugh!

Colin Keith

Two weeks ago, my wife and I had twin boys. We named one of the boys Colin Keith, in memory of our friend. I look forward to the day I can tell Colin Keith about the wonderful guy he's named after, and hopefully it will inspire him on some level to find the same joy in his life that Keith found in his.

March 12, 2009

David writes, "I am thinking of you, Keith."

Michael reaffirms, "Me, too. There's not a day that goes by that your good friends and family don't miss you."

Need some Keith inspiration

Lately, my job has fallen into a bit of a rut. Difficult clients, difficult timelines, difficult budgets. And the work hasn't been that creative.

When this kind of thing happened to me in the past, I'd call Keith and we'd commiserate. He'd have some great ideas for projects to do, or we'd talk about bigger dreams and goals. Seems I have very few like-minded, creative-types to hash these ideas out with anymore.

If nothing else, Keith and I would just talk about our dreams, what we hoped to accomplish as professional designers, and that would inspire me. After ragging on our companies, our clients, our projects, of course!

Keith, I wish you were around to hash it all out. I miss having your ideas rattling around in my head.

From David Tonnesen: Two Years Without Keith

David Tonnsen writes:

"Here it is two years after Keith's passing, I still think of him often.

"Attached are some photos for the blog not sure if I can post myself.

"Two years later and I still think of Keith often. I find things that remind me of his silliness and sense of humor. I have a few of his Biscuit Boy caps from 12 years ago that I wear, and I stumble across some of his Robert Keith Artwear materials. This order form makes me chuckle, I remember being impressed by his ambitions to make Biscuit Boy and Elvis Fish world renowned. He asked me to make some steel shirt stands with goofy faces for his Faneuil Hall sales cart. One can't help think of where he would be now in his career. I can imagine his high pitched laughter reliving those early days."