Passionate, dedicated and motivated. These three words accurately describe MFA graduate student Brandon Friend.
An artist who has been painting his entire life, Friend studied art at the University of Maryland, which afforded him time to develop a body of artwork. Friend is currently a student in the MFA program at Queens College, expecting to earn his MFA degree in studio art in May 2008.
As an artist, Friend relates that "natural processes, such as growth and decay, have greatly influenced my role as creator, observer and intermediary. Collage and the transferring of photographic elements obscure the surface along with veils of paint, producing ambiguous, visually-rich subject matter.... The emergence of recognizable images or gestures is intended to provoke a sense of familiarity that echoes throughout the paintings."
Friend notes that the MFA program has allowed him to be as productive as possible. He is provided with the best facilities to work in. It is a program that encourages interdisciplinary work. Unlike most graduate schools, "QC has a small body of grad students, is conveniently located and allows in-studio time with professors and other students."
Particularly impressive about the MFA program is the influential faculty who come from many different backgrounds. Friend notes that "the faculty has different approaches to art, which have provided me with a wide spectrum of insights and have constantly challenged the dialogue that surrounds my work and helped me apply what I learned."
From May 17 to 26, an MFA Thesis Exhibition will be taking place in Queens College's Klapper Hall. According to Friend, this exhibition marks the conclusion of the MFA program, where graduate students are able to celebrate the accumulation of their work and show it from a professional standpoint.
For Queens College students interested in pursuing a career in art, Friend reminds them to commit themselves to their practice and to challenge themselves with their artwork by fully using the college's facilities. Otherwise, their growth as artists and their understanding of themselves are limited.
For more information on the work of artist Brandon Friend, visit his Web site, www.brandonfriend.com.
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