I have been drawing all my life and aside from an occasional stab at painting or sculpture, it is what I do.  I really don't need more than a roll of paper, a stub of a pencil, some charcoal and sometimes some paint.  I try not to fret about it much and I definitely do not plan it.  I show up and it shows up.

A drawing is always satisfying and always a joy. I am never disappointed with the results. Sometimes I like to load up the page with tons of stuff just to see what a drawing can hold. Varnish, coffee stains, bits of the art history that I remember, dumb comments I hear on the radio and the odd song that gets stuck in my head (I always listen to the radio when I draw). I really like the shapes of some letters and numbers (a well honed "5" for instance, can really get me going!) and scientific mumbo-jumbo (charts and such) are the cat's pajamas. I try not to rule anything out that strikes me at a given moment and I have given myself permission to be as corny and as indulgent as I want as the need arises.

 

born:1952, Vancouver, WA

education:

Western Washington University, BFA, 1976

selected publications

City Arts Magazine: Questions for Fred Birchman, by Tim Appelo, 2009
Fred Birchman: Drawings, Marquand Press, 2002, Seattle WA

selected solo or two-person exhibits

New Work, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA, 2010
The Formal Plumb, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA, 2009
The Art of Fred Birchman, Edmonds Art Museum, Edmonds, WA, 2009
Proposals and Signals, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, WA 2007

selected group shows

West Coast Drawings, Koplin Del Rio Gallery, Los Angele, CA, 2009
Introduction 2009, Seattle Art Museum Gallery, Seattle, WA, 2009
Century 21: Dealer's Choice, Wright Exhibition Space, Seattle, WA, 2008
Paper, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle WA, 2002