Meet Jim Frelinger | Moving Image Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jim Frelinger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jim, every day, we know how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I’ve always been interested in art and film. My day job as a video producer for corporate training got me thinking about marrying video production techniques with how I think about art and film. And it just so happened that I was moving into a mixed use space where I could live and work so that is the short version of how Optica Lingua was born.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I participate in what some call personal cinema. It’s non-narrative, experimental in nature, meant to convey ideas and emotions as opposed to stories or events. I have several projects I am working on but one I’m most excited about involves revisiting the places I’ve lived looking for traces of my identity. When we tell people about ourselves, we often start with where we have been: where we were born, where we were raised, where we went to school, etc. More often than not, those places contain no trace of who we identify with. This project explores these ideas through manipulating video and obscuring geography to reveal how representations of the past ultimately become it’s own thing.
As far as challenges, I still struggle with monetizing what I do. I have faith though that my work can find an audience. The amazing, and sometimes scary, thing about the age we live in is that we are able to reach huge audiences through the internet and social media. There is a community of video artists on instagram sharing some amazing work.
Optica Lingua started because I wanted to showcase, not only my work, but the work of my friends who share the same need to process the past through art. I’m hoping that the space can be used to promote more artists and raise Denver’s profile as an art destination.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It depends on the time of year. My father is from San Diego where the weather is great but they don’t have seasons. I love that we have four seasons here. Most people love the fall here so a trip to mountains the peep the fall colors as the aspens turn is a mainstay for out-of-towner day trips. If you’re adventurous, late summer is the best time to hike a 14er. Bierstadt is probably the easiest and one of the closest to Denver. If you’re less adventurous, you could always drive up Pikes Peak or Mount Blue Sky. Everyone should get a 14,000 foot view at least once in their life, and working for it by climbing a few thousand feet makes it that much more satisfying.
Summer is also a great time to take in a concert at Red Rocks. There’s always one or two shows there that will appeal to you, whatever your musical tastes.
As far as art, the Santa Fe Arts District has the highest concentration of galleries and their First Fridays are a great way to take in a lot of art and a lot of people watching. Rino is the place to go if you’re into street art.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My partner Sylvie van Helden and the art collective informally known as Vimeo Gang (specifically Casey Koehler and Jessie Rodriguez). They have all been incredibly supportive when it comes to sharing the work I do. I do it for myself, ultimately, but they remind me that sharing what you create is important.

Instagram: @opticalingua

Other: Showcase of some of my work, https://vimeo.com/showcase/11776931
Happy to chat or talk art, email me at jimfrelinger@protonmail.com