Howard Friedland

Howard was born in Bronx, New York, and studied fine art and commercial art at New York's High School of Music and Art. He went to college at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Art and Science in the department of Art and Architecture in New York's Greenwich Village. Howard has studied with Ned Jacob, Michael J. Lynch, Mark Daley, Laura Robb, Willliam Schultz, Robert Kiuester, Charles Reed, Carolyn Anderson, Mitch Billis, Scott Christensen, and Matt Smith. 

Oil Painters of America inducted Howard as a Signature Member into their orgtanization in 2003. He recently was the winner of the First Place Award in the OPA 2014 Fall Online Showcase Signature Member Division. In 2008, Friedland was honored to receive the coveted National Award of Excellence, "Best of Show" at the 17th annual OPA exhibition. Other awards include: Best Landscape at the "Icons of the West" show at the Dana Gallery in Missoula, MT. 

Howard has painted, taught anbd exhibited extensively in throughout the US as well as Mexico, France, Italy, England, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, and China. 

"The challenge for me is always to see the world with fresh eyes and respond spontaneously to the beauty before me. it's possible to lose the impact of my initial vision out of doors due to the continually changing light. For this reason, I strive to capture as quickly and accurattely as possible the visual sensations that I have of the subject. I study color relationships and try to note them as best I can. Back at the studio, I use these "on the spot" studies for larger paintings. I rely on my memory to recal the details of light and shadow. Some painters prefer to render a picture tightly to a literal finish. I prefer to paint only enough for the viewer to get a clear vision of what the saubject is and suggest the rest,. When the painting is viewed close up, you can see the many colorful brush stsrokes. As you step further away, the brush strokes disappear and your eye pulls the paintingtogether. That is what the magic of painting is about for me. This allows the viewer to use their own imagination and participate in bringing the painting to life. "