starting January 8th until early march see my work at the umstead hotel in cary - i have delivered 22 pieces including large paintings and smaller works on paper. This might be the best excuse yet to pamper yourself with a night or two at the umstead hotel & spa. artist’s reception on feb. 19th, 6:00 – 8:00 PM.
also, see an interesting exhibit that includes my work and work by quynh vu, a young painter exploring narrative and everyday content from a fresh perspective. The idea, from curator paul bright, initially seems a bit strange, but he found an intriguing thread underlying both artist’s work – color. now showing at ]interval[, 1001 south marshall street, winston-salem. the hours are wednesday thru friday from 12:00 - 4:00 pm and 9:30 am to 2:00 pm on saturdays.
growing up in new york city, i regularly went to the museums with my mother. the met, the guggenheim, the whitney, the museum of modern art. i remember one time we went to moma and i saw a jasper johns painting of the united states map. i thought it was the coolest thing. i was maybe 10 and i remember looking around at all the adults studying the art and wandering the galleries. and it occurred to me that this was something grown-ups took seriously, that it was important. it really lit a fire.
my grown-up art life began in boston, where i had a few successful shows. then i lost everything in a factory loft fire, got a job with a master printer executing limited editions for artists – mostly lithographs. after a few years, i finally got back to doing my own thing.
after about 5 years, i was on the boston art world map. this included group shows at the institute of contemporary art, the boston museum of fine arts, and the danforth museum as well as 3 solos at the clark gallery. but then I kind of hit the wall. long story short, i fell into what i can only describe as a lover’s quarrel with the art world. around the same time, the lease on my studio on portland street was expiring, i owed the art store a lot of money, and, at age 35, didn’t have a car, a house or a health plan. i stepped away from art and into the advertising world on the creative side. after working at a few advertising agencies in boston, i was recruited to an agency in north carolina.
i thought i’d only be there for a few years before moving on, but every time i had my bags packed, an interesting new client, greater responsibilities, and salary were thrown at me, so I stayed.
in 2013 i retired a bit early to tend to my wife, michele who was suffering from a disorder that was never fully diagnosed. as she declined, she asked me to try making art again and i agreed. she had been a big fan. after she died, with a heavy heart and no idea whether i would still be interested, i started doing some little drawings and collages. i was quickly engrossed and engaged with it again.
after seeing the matisse cut-outs exhibit at moma, my hair burst into flames and i knew i had to work bigger and more seriously. in 2016 i completed a large studio off the back of my house. and recommitted myself to making art all over again. frank 2.0.
it’s been a grand ride.
enjoy.