Work samples

  • DAF in Italy.jpg
    DAF in Italy.jpg
    summer 2021 - At the CRETA residency in Italy with paper mache sculptures
  • Horsey dragon + DAF big.jpg
    Horsey dragon + DAF big.jpg
    summer 2020 - with painted steel "Horsey Dragon" newly installed on shop roof
  • TAK + DAF + Chameleon.jpg
    TAK + DAF + Chameleon.jpg
    summer 2018 - Trisha and David with our Chameleon at Baltimore Clayworks
  • David with triptych
    David with triptych
    2017 - with "Dragon triptych" painted steel, each panel approx. 8'6" x 5'2" x 1"

About David

David Friedheim's mother was a painter and his father was a classical musician. He received his BA from the State University of New York at Binghamton and his MFA from the Maryland Institute, College of Art in Baltimore, MD. He has exhibited in many solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States. He has built artwork on commission for private and public clients including such firms as Bill Graham Presents and Sculpture for New Orleans. In 1999 he was a founding member of The Crucible,… more

Steel Drawings

Collage and drawing have been the basics of my sculpture for three decades. Currently drawing has come to play a dominant role. Even after several years this body of work still feels quite new. At first these pieces were made on my work table. Latter they moved to my shop floor which allowed me to increase their scale.

The images are often drawn from my sketchbooks, some of which are almost thirty years old. When I go to a museum, a library or travel I like to have a sketchbook with me. In this way these steel drawings are not new. They are a return to old interests but approached in a new manner.

I am intrigued by grotesque imagery and it's use in the decorative arts. Many of my images originate in wooden furniture, ceramic plates, illuminated manuscripts and various forms of wall coverings. I believe that creativity is often found in nooks and corners.

I like building something large out of an accumulation of smaller parts. The smaller steel drawings are made individually. They are then arranged in various combinations to fit an available surface or to create narratives.
  • GwynnOakParapetMonster.jpg
    GwynnOakParapetMonster.jpg
    painted steel, approx. 15 feet long
  • David with triptych
    David with triptych
    2017 - with "Dragon triptych" painted steel, each panel approx. 8'6" x 5'2" x 1"
  • Dragon gates for shop yard
    Dragon gates for shop yard
    each approx. 8' x 5'
  • Dragon gates for shop yard
    Dragon gates for shop yard
  • Bestiary + DAF 1.jpg
    Bestiary + DAF 1.jpg
    "Bestiary", painted steel, each panel is 9'8" h x 5'10" w x 1" d, 2016
  • Bestiary detail.jpg
    Bestiary detail.jpg
    "Bestiary" triptych detail
  • Yellow Creatures.jpg
    Yellow Creatures.jpg
    painted steel, each panel is 8'6" h x 5'6" w x 1" d, 2015
  • nov. panels.jpg
    nov. panels.jpg
    work in progress Nov. 2018
  • IMG_5578.jpg
    IMG_5578.jpg
    one pair on floor and one upright

Pink Rabbits - Grendel's Mother

The "Pink Rabbit" sculpture is a collaborative piece built with fellow artist Trisha Kyner.  We have made four "Pink Rabbit" sculptures thus far. Two are in a private collections,  one in Colorado and one in Florida. Two are in public, one in New Orleans and one at the Columbia Mall here in Maryland.

It all started in the fall of 2009.  The Galumpha Dance Troupe asked Trisha  and me to build some sculptures as a stage set for a week long run in January of 2010 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.  We built three framework steel sculptures for this: a duck, a chameleon and a rabbit. These pieces were large enough for the dancers to climb on and were mounted on wheels so that they could be pulled around on stage. After the Kennedy Center performances we continued to work on these pieces. The rabbit was partially skinned with perforated sheet metal and powder coated pink.

In the spring of 2010 this "Pink Rabbit" sculpture was shown in the "Child's Play" exhibition at the Community College of Baltimore County Art Gallery. That summer it was included in Baltimore's "ArtScape" festival. Over the winter of 2011 it was shown at the Long Beach Center for the Arts in Long Beach, NJ. In 2012 it was placed in front of the Elkridge library for a year as part of Howard County's annual "ARTsites" exhibition. In 2013 it was placed in downtown Carbondale, CO for a year as part of their annual "Art Around Town" exhibition. This sculpture is now privately owned in Carbondale. Trisha and I built three more pink rabbit sculptures on request during 2013 and 2014.  One of these rabbits was displayed for two years by the Superdome in New Orleans as part of the NOLA sculpture project.
  • ArtScape festival, Baltimore 2010
    ArtScape festival, Baltimore 2010
    painted steel approx. 9' x 6' x3'
  • Trisha and David in the shop
    Trisha and David in the shop
    Trisha and David in the Baltimore shop
  • long-beach-baker.jpg
    long-beach-baker.jpg
  • New Orleans
    New Orleans
  • Palm Beach, FL
    Palm Beach, FL
  • Columbia Mall, Columbia, MD
    Columbia Mall, Columbia, MD
  • Trisha in New Orleans
    Trisha in New Orleans
  • Trisha and rabbit somewhere in Ohio
    Trisha and rabbit somewhere in Ohio
  • at the Elkridge library, Howard County, MD
    at the Elkridge library, Howard County, MD
  • Andy Horowtiz of Galumpha on rabbit
    Andy Horowtiz of Galumpha on rabbit
    Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Washington, D.C.

Mt. Washington Elementary

Once upon a time the Mt. Washington Elementary School had an old playground with condemned equipment. Thanks to an energetic Parent Teacher Organization this area was converted into an Outdoor Classroom which includes amphitheater seating, a labyrinth, flower beds and a water fountain.

In early 2009 I was asked to propose a metal arch to sit on two large pillars at the entrance. Community artist Cynder Hypki had covered these pillars with ceramic mosaics including pieces made by the elementary school students that had been fired at Baltimore Clayworks.

Instead of a drawn proposal I made a steel model at approx. one third scale incorporating imagery from the students drawings with my own. After this met with approval I fabricated the sixteen foot wide arch which was installed by a communal barn raising in May of that year.
  • David with the finished archway
    David with the finished archway
    approx. 16' across
  • finished arch, detail
    finished arch, detail
  • David with Cynder and some students
    David with Cynder and some students
  • original model
    original model
    five feet across, one third scale
  • David with arch
    David with arch
  • original model
    original model
  • David and Dale
    David and Dale
  • community help with installation
    community help with installation

Life Size work

A selection of life size and larger pieces made over the past few decades.

  • Good Morning Sunshine
    Good Morning Sunshine

    Painted steel, 2022, 90"x50"x50"

    Available for Purchase
  • DAF+angle2.jpg
    DAF+angle2.jpg
    Feb. 2021 - at home in the shop during a pandemic winter.
  • Kiss Me, You Fool
    Kiss Me, You Fool
    73.5" x 57" x 39" - painted steel with movable head private collection, CA
  • Shot Full O Holes
    Shot Full O Holes
    painted steel, 90" x 50" x 47", 2003 private collection, Marin, CA
  • Yellow Clown @ Greenspring Station
    Yellow Clown @ Greenspring Station
    painted steel, approx. 7' x 7' x 1', 1996
  • Orange Devil
    Orange Devil
    painted steel, 8' x 4'6" x 4', 2003 private collection, Marin, CA
  • Him
    Him
    painted steel, 2014
  • Big Red on North Ave.
    Big Red on North Ave.
    painted steel, approx. 9' x 4' x 3', 1990
  • Big Red on North Ave
    Big Red on North Ave
    painted steel, approx. 9' x 4' x 3', 1990
  • My New Friend
    My New Friend
    painted steel, approx. 5'6" x 4' x 3', 2010 collection Discovery Center, Binghamton, NYS

Illuminated Creatures

I refer to these pieces as Illuminated Creatures because they remind me of European Medieval manuscripts. Fanciful animal forms are combined with words, in particular with names. For many years I have made these for private clients and as gifts.

During the 1990's the San Francisco firm Bill Graham Presents often commissioned them for bands playing at their various music venues. Some of the bands who were given these pieces include the Counting Crows, Ben Folds Five, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Foo Fighters, Third Eye Blind, the Dave Matthew's Band, and Blues Traveler.
  • laura-sm.jpg
    laura-sm.jpg
  • kevin-sm.jpg
    kevin-sm.jpg
  • dave-sm.jpg
    dave-sm.jpg
  • john-sm.jpg
    john-sm.jpg
  • brad-sm.jpg
    brad-sm.jpg
  • arion-sm.jpg
    arion-sm.jpg
  • robert-sm.jpg
    robert-sm.jpg
  • tye-sm.jpg
    tye-sm.jpg
  • max-sm.jpg
    max-sm.jpg
  • stefan-sm.jpg
    stefan-sm.jpg

Faces

The first time I made a face in this manner was in 1986. That was just as I finished my Master's Degree. Play was important in this work. Serious, creative play. For many years after selling faces in this style was a staple of my income.  I still make them with some regularity. It's a good warm up exercise in the morning.
  • Face # 2
    Face # 2
    A nice couple in Croton-on-Hudson, Conn. own this face.
  • 16.jpg
    16.jpg
    This face is in a collection in Binghamton, New York.
  • 20.jpg
    20.jpg
  • Face # 18
    Face # 18
    This face feels a little African to me.
  • Face # 21
    Face # 21
    That was a perfectly good wrench.
  • Wall head 2b.jpeg
    Wall head 2b.jpeg
    steel
  • David head b.jpeg
    David head b.jpeg
    steel
  • Wall head 5b.jpeg
    Wall head 5b.jpeg
    steel
  • Wall head, bird.jpg
    Wall head, bird.jpg
    steel
  • Hippo.jpeg
    Hippo.jpeg
    steel

older works

A selection of pieces from the late 1980's through the mid 1990's.
  • Lollapalooza tour head
    Lollapalooza tour head
    sometime in the mid 1990's
  • Greeting Earthling
    Greeting Earthling
    painted steel
  • Buns O Steel
    Buns O Steel
    101" x 54" x 30", steel, 1996 private collection, New Haven, CT
  • Pin Head Devil
    Pin Head Devil
    painted steel, 1991, 48" x 31" x 32" private collection, Portola Valley, CA
  • Big Lollipop
    Big Lollipop
    painted steel with moveable head 90" x 63" x 54" - 1993 private collection, Portola Valley, CA
  • Little Lollipop
    Little Lollipop
    painted steel with moveable head 1993 private collection, San Francisco, CA
  • Pink Nude
    Pink Nude
    painted steel, private collection San Diego, CA
  • Chimara
    Chimara
    painted steel, 60" x 50" x84", 1998 private collection, CA
  • Wonder Cow
    Wonder Cow
    painted steel, collection Reston Town Center, VA
  • Bow Wow
    Bow Wow
    painted steel, 1990 private collection CA

really big stuff

For a while it seemed as if I was building my own jungle gyms. The two largest ended up part of the Hermitage collection in Santa Barbara, CA.
  • Greetings
    Greetings
    at the Contract Design Center, San Francisco
  • greet-in-snow-em.jpg
    greet-in-snow-em.jpg
  • Greetings 1.jpg
    Greetings 1.jpg
    I like the shadow on the wall
  • detail Mother Goose unpainted
    detail Mother Goose unpainted
  • Mother Goose
    Mother Goose
    painted steel, 210" x 92" x 88" Hermitage collection, Santa Barbara, CA
  • climbing on Barbec
    climbing on Barbec
  • climbing on Barbec
    climbing on Barbec
    with Greetings at right
  • climbing on Barbec
    climbing on Barbec
    collection Hermitage, Santa Barbara, CA
  • mvc-681f.jpg
    mvc-681f.jpg
    what a party that was

Monster Arch - Grendel's Mother

In the summer of 2006 Trisha Kyner and I were asked to build an entrance for Baltimore's 10th annual International Festival. This free festival took place over two and a half days at the Poly-Western High School athletic fields in Baltimore City. Activities included an international soccer competition, live music, dancing and food. There was also a ceremony for swearing in of new United States citizens.

Our design drew on imagery from Indonesian temples, Italian Mannerist gardens and contemporary graffiti from Thailand. With the help of a great many volunteers from City Hall and the community we were able to fabricate this twenty-two foot tall and twenty-five foot wide sculpture in three weeks.

Over the winter of 2006 - 2007 the arch was damaged while in storage. In the spring of 2007 we renovated the arch and it was used again for the 11th International Festival that summer.
  • 10-honor-guard.jpg
    10-honor-guard.jpg
  • 2-tak-drawing.jpg
    2-tak-drawing.jpg
  • 1-face-closeup.jpg
    1-face-closeup.jpg
  • 5b.jpg
    5b.jpg
  • 9-tak-arch.jpg
    9-tak-arch.jpg
  • 8-legs-up.jpg
    8-legs-up.jpg
  • 7-group-paint-leg.jpg
    7-group-paint-leg.jpg
  • 6-tak-painting-leg.jpg
    6-tak-painting-leg.jpg
  • 4-leg-arm.jpg
    4-leg-arm.jpg
  • 3-eyesnose-arm.jpg
    3-eyesnose-arm.jpg

Grendel's Mother

I regularly work in collaboration with Trisha Kyner under the name of Grendel's Mother. This name was chosen out of sympathy with the female monster from the famous medieval tale Beowulf, who is never given a name of her own.

We met over a decade ago, as instructors at the Crucible, a school devoted to linking arts, industry and community in Berkeley, CA. Trisha taught ceramics while David taught welded sculpture. Our first collaborative project, The Big Red Dog, involved leading a group of our students and volunteers in the fabrication of large paper mache sculptures for a public arts festival. The success of this experience led us to form Grendel's Mother
  • TAK + DAF + Chameleon.jpg
    TAK + DAF + Chameleon.jpg
    summer 2018 - Trisha and David with our Chameleon at Baltimore Clayworks
  • Zotz in 2008 at the CCBC gallery
    Zotz in 2008 at the CCBC gallery
    mixed media, 10' x 10' x 7'
  • Poochifer
    Poochifer
  • Frog
    Frog
    mixed media, 7' x 10' x 16', 2008
  • Trisha and David with first collaboration
    Trisha and David with first collaboration
  • Frog
    Frog
    mixed media, 7' x 10' x 16', 2008
  • at the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 2004
    at the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 2004
    mixed media, 10' x 10' x 7'
  • Poochier in progress
    Poochier in progress
  • David on Poochifer armature
    David on Poochifer armature
  • Yellow Ducky
    Yellow Ducky
    painted steel, approx. 6' x 5'6" x 2'6", 2010