Watercolors by Suzan Frecon
For its next Viewing Room, David Zwirner is pleased to present a selection of watercolors by Suzan Frecon, in conjunction with her exhibition of new paintings at David Zwirner Hong Kong.
Suzan Frecon (b. 1941) is known for abstract oil paintings and works on paper that are at once reductive and expressive. The artist’s compositions are characterized by arcing and asymmetrically balanced forms and are defined by precise spatial and proportional relationships. Each surface is developed carefully and gradually, evolving from one canvas to the next, with composition as a foundational structure holding color, material, and light.
Frecon’s watercolors are an integral part of her creative process. Sometimes made while her larger paintings are drying, these works employ the same balance of line, color, and form, but often in looser, more experimental applications.
The specific characteristics of each leaf of found vintage paper the artist collects impose their own dynamic compositional constraints. Here, rag board, Indian ledger paper, and handmade Japanese sheets contribute irregular size, texture, and surfaces that create unique grounds and reactions for the artist’s rich swaths of color.
More than simply studies for her larger canvases, Frecon’s watercolors are independent works that demonstrate her continued engagement with the chromatic and sensory possibilities of painting, and of pure abstraction.
More information on the artist’s watercolor practice can be found in Suzan Frecon: paper, published on the occasion of concurrent presentations of her works on paper at David Zwirner New York and Lawrence Markey, San Antonio, in 2013.
Image: Suzan Frecon, red and orange, 2018