Niv Fridman

Being an artist can be weird sometimes. On the one hand, you work on a project mostly on your own, and it is a very intimate process; on the other hand, once the work is out there in the world at an exhibition, it becomes a public object. I have always struggled with the idea of all those sketches and works I have made that have never seen the light of day outside my studio. Some artists take this aspect for granted, but I feel sad for those works that have never fully realized their potential, works that have never felt the magic that happens when your world and the audience's world collide.

Recently, I sold this painting to a private collection, which is, of course, wonderful news for me. However, it is also odd, as it is the second time in my career that a project I have been working on has gone to a private collection before being exhibited. It makes you wonder how art is consumed differently in private and public spaces. I am also glad to have Instagram, where I can still share this work even if it might not be presented to the public in real life.

The work is inspired by a childhood memory of a group of kids setting the flower field near my house on fire. It is created using a mixed-media technique involving pyrography, watercolor, carving, and pen on wood.