Visual storytelling from the lens to the canvas.
By Laura Shirk
For Paul Julien Freed, the transition from camera to canvas was a seamless evolution of his personal history in film and photography. As a visualist who “sees the world in color,” Freed found that the concept of storytelling translates between mediums in parallel ways.
However, the catalyst for picking up the brush was deeply personal. Turning to painting later in life to cope with a cancer diagnosis, Freed found liberation in the medium.
“When I’m painting, I am in the moment, free of a particular outcome or being sick,” Freed says. “Memory can best be preserved through acceptance rather than suffering.”
Color, Character, and Composition
Despite exploring the medium for only five years, Freed has demonstrated a rapid and sophisticated shift in style. Color serves as the connecting theme across his body of work, whether he is painting faces full of detail or canvases covered in everyday objects like wagons and coat hangers.
His style creates a unique tension:
- The Technique: Edges are soft, lines are loose, and compositions often feel open and random.
- The Subject: He juxtaposes strong messages with a sense of randomness, bringing character to both human subjects and inanimate objects alike.
The “Chateau” Series: A Nod to Impressionism
Freed’s work has recently evolved from free-form expression to structured narrative. The centerpiece of this evolution is his work titled “Chateau.”
Inspired by the French Impressionist Gustave Caillebotte (who utilized deep focus techniques decades before Orson Welles), Freed’s “Chateau” captures a woman looking out of a balcony window at the iconic Chateau Marmont.
The process was meticulous. Believing that a final piece cannot be right if the foundation is wrong, Freed spent two weeks perfecting the sketch—studying the perspective between the woman and the hotel to create a narrative open to viewer interpretation. What provoked her to stand? What is she thinking?
As the centerpiece of his latest exhibition, Chateau reflects Freed’s personal connection to the historic hotel. Built in 1929, Chateau Marmont is known for its glamorous past and association with Old Hollywood figures, serving as a refuge for actors, writers, and directors. Although the building experienced periods of decline, it never lost its charm. Freed and his wife first stayed at the hotel more than thirty years ago and have witnessed its restoration over time. For Freed, the hotel’s character comes not only from its architecture but also from the people who inhabit and sustain it.
The exhibition, presented as an in-suite show, included Chateau alongside more than twenty additional paintings. The works connected past and present while revealing the layered nature of Freed’s practice. Referencing the history of Impressionism, Freed noted that the movement’s early exhibitions took place outside official institutions, often in spaces resembling apartments. This historical context resonated with the intimate setting of his own exhibition.
A Historic Venue: The In-Suite Exhibition
The connection between the artist and the subject is profound. Freed and his wife have been regular visitors to the Chateau Marmont for over 30 years, witnessing its restoration from “rags to riches.”
In a poetic tribute to art history, Freed held a solo exhibition inside a suite at the Chateau Marmont. This choice of venue mirrors the origins of the Impressionist movement itself.
“No organized group had ever exhibited outside the French Academy’s annual salon before 1874,” explains Freed. “Because their movement was not accepted… the group held exhibitions in galleries and studios that were essentially apartments.”
By showcasing over twenty paintings in this intimate setting, Freed tied together the past and present, revealing the layers of his work in the very location that inspired them.
Where to Find His Work ?
Paul Julien Freed refuses to be defined by limitations, choosing instead to focus on “moving forward with life.”
His work has been exhibited nationally, including five shows in Los Angeles. His art has also been featured on Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here and Hulu’s Chance.
View his current portfolio at www.pjfreed.com.
