Frank Gardner was born and raised in Poughkeepsie,
New York. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in
1986 with a BFA in Painting. A desire to find true inspiration
for his paintings eventually led him to México. He has been living
in México since 1990 and now resides in San Miguel de Allende with
his wife and daughter.
Gardner paints on location and in the studio using paintings or
sketches done on the spot and or photo references. His style adeptly
captures his subjects’ moods and emotions, whether it be paintings
of dramatic landscapes, colorful marketplaces, or boats in a harbor.
The combination of confident brushwork, dynamic compositions and
lively color invokes true character in Frank’s work.
México inspires a large amount of Gardner's paintings. However,
traveling and painting is something that he loves to do. “A fresh
set of eyes on a new landscape is good for the art spirit.” Frank
says, “It pushes me in my work with new challenges”. Cape Cod is
a frequent destination for his painting trips. Other recent locations
he has painted include the coasts of Maine, Florida and México.
Gardner’s work is part of many fine collections across
the United States, México, Canada and Europe.
Artist's
Statement
My paintings are interpretations of my experiences. They come from
the desire to share the beauty that I see every day by arranging
bits of color and ideas to tell a story. Drawn to the colors of
fleeting light effects on the landscape I try and accurately represent
color I see. However, I also interpret and push color if it is
useful to convey how the scene makes me feel. Color combinations
and juxtapositions are a lot of what make a subject appealing to
me. I look for situations that are unique to a particular place
at a certain time, depending on lighting conditions, but also filtered
through my mood at the time a piece is painted.
Painting in a representational style, and influenced
by the Impressionists, I am drawn to fleeting light effects and
color while sometimes sacrificing detail. A controlled chaos or
loose spontaneity is my favored look, although each color and stroke
is well thought out and carefully placed. My goal is to convey
to the viewer my feelings about the scene through my use of color
and brushwork. I’ll let the subject and my mood determine how much
detail is required to complete each painting.
Paint application is important to me. It is a very
personal facet of my work. An artists brushwork and paint handling
is what sets their work apart from another artist’s interpretation
of the same view. It is as unique as a fingerprint. I not only
brush paint on, but lift it off, or smear it with a finger or paint
rag. It is often the lifting off of the paint or moving it around
after it is on the canvas that gives the look I am after. |
