Artist/muralist Rik Freeman brings his Chittlin’ Circuit Review series based on the blues to Northern Virginia Center

In 1994 artist/muralist Rik Freeman wrote “The Ballad of the Grit Girl,” the inspiration for his 2008 painting by the same name. It is included in Freeman’s exhibit of oil on canvas paintings, The Chittlin Circuit Review , displayed on the first floor of the Northern Virginia Center (NVC) at 7054 Haycock Road, Falls Church. The show runs until June 27.

During a recent reception, which officially opened the 24-piece exhibit and the weekend-long Tinner Hill Blues Festival in Falls Church, a local blues group, The Social Ramble, lent a perfect backdrop as Freeman mingled with guests, talked about some of the thoughts behind his artwork, and delighted those present with a spirited recitation of “The Ballad of the Grit Girl.”

Freeman describes his artistic style as “a narrative painter, a storyteller, a Girot with a paintbrush.” The paintings (1994-2008) which make up The Chittlin Circuit Review are based on stories told in blues music. Some also reflect stories he remembers overhearing as a child in Athens, GA.

“My underlying objective is to portray the reality of the social and political circumstances of African Americans in the Deep South, the land, and the people that birthed and nurtured this music and culture,” said Freeman. “The more I worked on this series, the more I realized it’s not just an artistic journey but an anthropological study on a segment of American history.”

Based on factual times, events, and conditions, this series of paintings (many of which are for sale) revolves around fictional characters, principally Mud Paw Willie and the Dawg Gon Blues Band. Answering those who ask why he uses such bright colors to depict obviously dark times, Freeman says that “in spite of their obstacles, they were able to see and live towards a brighter future.”

Freeman has also painted numerous murals throughout the metropolitan area including his most recent commissions: “Shaw Rhythms,” in 2003 for the new Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC, and “Arl@200,” in 2002, a three-level stairwell at the Arlington County Courthouse, Arlington, VA.

Freeman has received numerous awards and honors, most recently a merit-based grant from The Franz and Virginia Bader Fund, Washington, DC. He has received fellowships from the DC Commission on the Arts and, in 1994, was nominated for an Outstanding Emerging Artist Award.

Posted June 25, 2009