Ethan Friedberg

Painter of Things and Stuff

Friedbergethan@gmail.com

@Ethansartthings





Education

MFA, Fine Arts
 Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY — 2025–present

BFA, Fine Art; Minor in Art History
 Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY — 2021–2025,  GPA: 3.6







Artist Statement 


My work explores how the urban landscape influences one's emotional state.  In contemporary society we are bombarded with stimuli, the majority of it nonsensical. Through depicting interior spaces using impasto and rough brush strokes, I aim to capture the complicated and transient relationships we have with private and public space. The overwhelm of daily life is often reflected in one's treatment of their environment, whether that be neglect, hoarding, or somewhere in between. With life moving so quickly and distractions so prevalent it can be easy to ignore one's surroundings. 

Growing up, I frequently moved around. While my personal environment was shifting, I found solace in exploration. Often finding myself in abandoned buildings, spaces that rarely changed aside from environmental decay. Everything outside was moving so quickly yet these spaces were so incredibly still. The beauty of these environments was in the subtle traces of past inhabitants; scratches on the wall, paint chipping, little details that told a narrative.

Through painting I aim to bring attention back to our physical environments.  I explore this through layers, textures, and the interplay of order and chaos in my compositions. These elements overlap, creating a visual dialogue that evolves through the many stages of the painting process. Rarely do earlier layers disappear entirely; their traces remain, documenting the work’s history. These layers symbolically represent the many memories and stories that exist throughout our physical environments. 




Exhibtions:



“Senior Thesis Exhibition” (John P. Heins Outstanding Senior Thesis Award)
 Tang Teaching Museum, Saratoga Springs, NY — May 2025

“LARAC 120 Intercollegiate Regional”
 LARAC, Glens Falls, NY — February 2025

“2025 Juried Skidmore Student Exhibition”
 Schick Art Gallery, Saratoga Springs, NY — January 2025

“Corduroy Hills”
 Burren College of Art, Ballyvaughan, Ireland — April 2024
“2024 Juried Skidmore Student Exhibition”
 
Schick Art Gallery, Saratoga Springs, NY — January 2024
“120 Intercollegiate Regional”
Saratoga Arts, Saratoga Springs, NY — February 2023

“SRISA Group Exhibition”
 Santa Reparata School of Art, Florence, Italy — July 2022