Caryn Friedlander is a Pacific Northwest artist whose decades-long practice spans painting, drawing, textiles, and printmaking. Born in New York City, Friedlander holds an MFA in painting (1991) and an MA in East Asian art history (1987) from the University of Washington and was awarded a Monbusho Fellowship to study art in Japan - an experience that continues to inform her approach to gesture and space.Friedlander writes, “Gesture doesn’t get much more elemental than when it is expressed through the long, rich tradition of Asian calligraphy… I find it mysterious and wonderful that a single line can be filled with so much emotive potential. Western art, when I came home [from Japan], led me to massing those lines together, while also trying to give each one its own life.” Friedlander lived in Seattle and the Aleutian Islands before settling in Bellingham, WA with her husband, surrounded by nature and animals. Friedlander taught studio art at Whatcom Community College from 1992 to 2015, when she retired to focus solely on her studio work. Her work is held in numerous private and public collections, including The New York Public Library, Swedish Hospital, Washington State University, Vulcan Foundation, Whatcom Museum and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. In 2025, she was honored with a prestigious SOLA Award by Artist Trust, recognizing her lifelong commitment to art-making.