“A Solid Friendship” is a collection of 19 works begun during a period of profound personal upheaval. After leaving his longtime home in New York City, David Hochbaum found himself separated from the community that had anchored his life and work. A betrayal by a longtime colleague also severed professional connections built over a decade. The subsequent death of his beloved fifteen-year-old cat compounded this sense of loss.
The series became a deliberate effort to confront memory, summon joy through revisiting it, and honor the people, companions, and experiences that had shaped his life. Recurring boats, from fragile dinghies to imagined arks, carry these memories, holding moments of solitude alongside those shared with others. As the collection developed, it became both a tribute to these connections and a way of finding comfort in their continued presence.
