BY SHALEEN DESTEFANO
After being diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, only to be followed by a leukemia diagnosis for her youngest son, Risa found solace behind the lens of her camera. Her eye for beauty and color in unconventional settings is raw and captivating. As Denver continues to grow, and old architecture continues to fall, we are grateful for her work .
We were instantly drawn to your work because it captures the beauty that might otherwise go overlooked. How did your journey as a photographer begin?
I’ve always loved making stuff, but after moving to Denver I stopped prioritizing art. When my second son was four weeks old, I started experiencing horrible joint pain and was eventually diagnosed with the autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis. It took a few months to receive a diagnosis and then a few more months for my meds to kick in. During that time, I promised myself that if and when I felt better, art would become a priority again. I started spending more and more time taking photos. Then, three years later when my younger son was diagnosed with leukemia, the regular practice of finding beauty in everyday scenes became a way to maintain a positive attitude during the hardest time of my life.
Before photography, I spent a lot of time playing with paper. I made collages and cards and anything else that let me cut and paste. I transferred my love for color and shape into photography, but also started to use light and shadow in new ways. I love that I can use photography to study and celebrate my city. I am an artist, but also a social scientist. I have degrees in psychology, sociology and public health. Taking pictures of urban details is a natural marriage of these two parts of me.
Do you ever work with film? When working with digital, do you ever leave images raw, or do you work your magic in the editing process?
I originally learned photography as a teenager using a busted old film camera. I do all digital now, but miss film, and would like to start using it again. I edit most of my photos, but try to keep the changes minimal. It’s mostly brightening and sometimes a little color correction. I edit more substantially for specific projects such as my “We Were Wild” wheat paste collaboration where more concentrated color works better.
You’re originally from NY. When did you decide to make roots in Denver?
My husband grew up in Denver. We met in late 1998 in the stairwell of our five story Manhattan walk up. We then moved to Brooklyn together and then to Quito, Ecuador. While in Quito, we decided to move to Denver. We moved here in 2007 and I fantasized about moving back to New York on and off for the first five years. Now I love it here and can’t think of another place I’d rather raise our two boys (6 and 9). I even own a fleece. It’s black and I’ve worn it twice.
You are a huge supporter of the growing local art scene in Denver. Tell us about this community and how you see it evolving.
I freaking adore the Denver art community. I feel lucky to have great support and enthusiasm for my work. I am part of a women’s creative collective called CULT that meets every few months for a casual potluck. In late June, one of our members, Kaitlyn Tucek, suggested we throw a fundraiser for the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) and in less than a week, Artists for Immigrant Families raised over $13,000 through the sales of local artwork.
I love collecting work by my friends and colleagues and hanging it in my home so that I’m constantly surrounded by the creative people I love and admire. I’m a big advocate for artists being paid fairly for their work, but that doesn’t mean that art has to be financially out of reach. There are many opportunities to buy interesting work at affordable prices. MCA Denver’s Octopus Initiative which allows any Denver metro resident who enters to win the chance to live with an original piece of contemporary art for ten months is innovative and super cool, even if I’ve yet to win a piece.
The old school art gallery model is changing everywhere, and it’s fascinating to watch how these changes play out locally. Leon Gallery, one of my favorite places to see art, recently became a non-profit so they could change their model for making money. All their exhibiting artists now receive a stipend before their show opens and the gallery decreased the cut it takes of each piece sold. I also love the new galleries in nontraditional spaces like Minerva Projects, a converted garage in Park Hill.
You are working on a new project called “We Were Wild.” Can you tell us about this?
I’ve always loved street art and public art because they are accessible to people who might never walk into an art museum or gallery. I first exposed my boys to art by taking them to see the murals in Rino. They could yell and run and touch with no worries of anything being destroyed.
Over time, I also became increasingly interested in the idea of bringing my photos back into the streets. I wanted to paste photos of buildings from one part of town onto buildings in a different neighborhood. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool to glue buildings that no longer exist onto walls that still stand?”
I shared this dream with my good friend, botanical artist Meredith Feniak, who loves pasting things to other things. We immediately knew we would glue together. In June we decided it was time to conceptualize the project, and We Were Wild was born. Our wheat paste pieces combine paper prints with floral fabrics and often incorporate 3D elements such as curtains and doors reminiscent of dioramas or pages from a pop-up book.
Our application to the CRUSH WALLS 2018 urban art festival was accepted, which means we will be pasting new pieces in Rino this September 3-9. I’ve attended this festival every year and I’m super stoked to create for it this year.
What do you admire most in other artists?
I admire most in artists the same qualities I admire in people in general. I love artists who aren’t afraid. People who are willing to be honest in their work even if it means making themselves vulnerable to criticism and judgment. Artists that push sexual and political boundaries. I like art that makes me think, but I also admire artists with the ability to continuously produce beautiful things. Over and over, another gorgeous thing flows from their hands. Pretty things make me happy and provide moments of healthy escape.
Where can we find your work and do you have any upcoming shows?
In addition to Crush, I’m showing a few of my photographs in a small group show in the South Gallery of the Firehouse Art Center in Longmont. Kaitlyn Tucek, artist and current resident at Firehouse, is curating the show, and includes work by local awesome artists, Drew Austin and Daniel Granitto. The reception is September 14th.
I regularly post my work on Instagram @risafriedman and risafriedman.com. Prints can be purchased through my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/RisaFriedmanArt. I love custom print requests. I’m hoping to release two new little photobooks in time for the holidays.