Fiercely passionate, charismatic and creative, Ann Louise Binghamfreeman was bigger
than life, one of a kind, but first and foremost, she was an artist.
In her twenties Ann toyed with becoming a nurse but soon l earned her fascination with
the human body l ay more in studying the human form through art than medicine, which she did
to the last days of her spirited life. She drew, she painted, she assembled in clay, in paper, in
metal--the female form, again and again, depicting its beauty, individuality, and importance.
These women, like Ann herself, were bold, unapologetic, and visionary!
Ann was born and spent her childhood in Riverside, California among vast acres of
orange groves and open trails where she developed a love of the outdoors, horses, and
reading. Her attachment to the earth, to intuition, and to metaphor came to life through her
voracious curiosity; she was ever a student and a teacher. Her art drew on these fascinations.
Animated and sometimes whimsical horses, donkeys, goats, dogs, cats, frogs, and ducks filled
her work.
After graduating from Poly High School, she worked for her father, a prominent
orthopedic surgeon, before traveling to Mexico to study art. Upon her return she met a tall
handsome Vietnam vet whose name, at first, she missed, and fell in love. She nicknamed him
“Blondie.” By the time they were married, she knew his name was Fred Freeman; the nickname
stuck. Ever her champion, Fred supported her as she returned to the Johnston Center of the
University of Redlands where she earned a BA in Fine Art. While a student, her first daughter
Erin was born; six years later her second daughter, Rebecca (Becky) was born. These two and
their daughters are a reflection of Ann’s principles, zest, and humor.
Ann, a member of the Redlands and Riverside Art Associations and a diehard member
of the Fifth Avenue Swim Club, was not really a joiner, but somehow she belonged everywhere.
She made fast friends with store clerks, waiters, and waitresses because she had a way of
setting people free, of saying, often in the vernacular, what they were thinking or wanted to say
themselves. She did the same for the children to whom she taught art and for fellow artists she
knew and admired. She was a reminder to everyone she met, it pays to be particular, to be
courageous, to stand by your beliefs.
Ann was one of the most celebrated and prize winning artists in the region, winning
awards year after year. Her work hangs in hundreds of homes and has appeared in numerous
shows including Ink and Clay, the Multi-Media Mini Show, and the National Orange Show. The
Kellogg Gallery of Cal Poly Pomona featured her work in a retrospective show. Ann was
extremely proud of her permanent collections which can be found at the University of Redlands,
California State University - Pomona, and the Cool Globes Exhibit which travels the world.
Ann was most at peace at her home in Yucaipa holding hands with Fred, playing cards,
watching Perry Mason, reading, sitting outdoors by her koi pond next to the Japanese maple
she l oved, contemplating art and life, and soaking up inspiration from the world around her.
She is survived by her husband Fred, her daughters Erin and Becky, her granddaughters
Veronica and Isabelle and more friends and admirers than can be counted, all of whom will
remember her bawdy humor, her generous energy, her ferocious loyalty, her deep love of family
and friends, and her daring art-- the canvas of her fully-lived life.
Written with love by Caroline McAllister
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