Caryn Friedlander

Curiosity is a motivating force in Caryn Friedlander’s creative process. For Caryn, art making is an adventure into the unknown, a challenge to discover what is true – in herself, life, love, nature and beauty. This perspective aligns with her contemplative practice, where maintaining an openness to the possibility of “not knowing” or, not holding to preconceived outcomes, is a way to live fully into the most profound questions that give meaning to life.  

Caryn Friedlander earned her MA in Japanese art history in 1987 and her MFA in painting and drawing in 1991, both from the University of Washington. She received a Japanese fellowship to study art in Japan, which strongly influenced her approach to gesture, form, and space in her work. Her imagery references the natural world, which she engages with daily, on walks in the woods and by water with her dogs, or when tending her substantial garden.  

Caryn taught studio art full-time at Whatcom Community College (Bellingham) for 25 years, all the while maintaining a robust studio practice. She has received multiple artist residency awards in the U.S. and abroad. Her work can be found in numerous public collections, including Swedish Hospital, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, WSU, Harborview Medical Center and Whatcom Museum. Her work was represented by Francine Seders until the gallery closed in 2013, and she is currently represented by ArtX Contemporary in Seattle.