Artist Freiman Stoltzfus said he likes the extremes of rural and city life.

"For me, living in the country and living in a city represents the two sides of man," he said. "The need to be surrounded by nature, and the need to submerge yourself in culture and music. I love both settings for what they have to offer."

The artist's latest exhibit at The Liz Hess Gallery on North Prince Street, "Freiman Stoltzfus: New York 2008," beautifully illustrates the dichotomy between rural and urban living as a type of cultural yin and yang.

The paintings and sculptures also tell Stoltzfus' personal story, as a Lancaster native from an Amish-Mennonite family who now lives in New York.

There's a virtual biography beneath the shiny luster of "Journey to New York," a painting that depicts a quilt-like pattern that seems to gradually evolve into a series of perfectly formed blocks.

"I've always been interested in the patterns found in Amish quilts, which is also a part of my background," Stoltzfus said. "In that painting, the quilt pattern becomes sharper, like the shapes of buildings and skyscrapers along the streets of new York City.

"The image shows a kind of symbolic passage," he said.

Stoltzfus's time in New York has been productive. In addition to performing at Carnegie Hall as a member of the Oratorio Society, he's been studying at the Art Student's League of New York with noted sculptor Rhoda Sherbell.

"That's the first time I tried sculpting," Stoltzfus said. "My teacher was very tough on me, too, but I learned so much from her.

"So, the sculptures in this show are some of my first — and they are deeply personal," he said.

"Shepherd" is the figure of a strong-looking man in a hat tenderly holding a lamb.

Stoltzfus said the man is his deceased father who also was a pastor, hence the title "Shepherd." The lamb symbolizes his sister, who died of cancer only 10 months after Stoltzfus' father died.

"Anyone who sees the sculpture and knew my father knows exactly who they are looking at," Stoltzfus said. "There's no mistaking that it's him."

He added that studying sculpture has allowed him to rediscover what it means to be an artist.

"I'd sketch sculptures in Paris all the time, but getting your hands on clay and actually turning nothing into something has lit me up artistically," Stoltzfus said. "It's a sensual experience."

There are also pieces in the show that can best be described as quintessentially Freiman Stoltzfus.

In the past, the artist has produced an amazing series of "cathedral" themed paintings that has allowed Stoltzfus to express his love of European churches and the geometric patterns found in quilts and architecture.

A continuation of those paintings can be found in his current exhibit, such as "Renaissance I and II" and "Sanctuary 2008." These paintings are rendered in gorgeous, vivid colors, both warm and cool.

"Some of those paintings started out as bluish gray tones," Stoltzfus said. "Eventually, I painted over them with colors that better represent my emotional state — which is usually in flux, like most people."

That could explain the diversity of his interests.

In the summer of 2007, Stoltzfus auditioned and was accepted as a tenor member of the chorus.

Earlier this year, he sent a proposal to the Society, suggesting they commission a series of original paintings to be used for promotion of this season's concerts. The society thought his ideas were great, and allowed him to submit designs for the concert of "Messiah" in December, which will hang outside of Carnegie Hall. Stoltzfus also will create posters for the "Bach Mass in B Minor" concert next Spring.

Of course, Stoltzfus' busy schedule doesn't mean he doesn't return to Lancaster County often.

"I've been on a journey that started here, has brought me around the world and now to New York, but that doesn't mean I won't end up in Lancaster," Stoltzfus said. "I believe in the people here."

"New Works by Freiman Stoltzfus," through Dec. 3, Liz Hess Gallery, 140 N. Prince St., Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 390-7222.

E-mail: cdifonzo@lnpnews.com