STACY FRANK
About Stacy:
Having grown up in a creative family my affinity for drawing and painting was encouraged as a child. It wasn't until attending UCSC that I received my first official art instruction as a member of the Scientific Illustration program during my last year at the university. Years after graduation I began taking printmaking courses offered at our local community Cabrillo College in the evenings. From the first night class I was hooked - I continued to learn traditional etching methods over three years with several instructors including Paul Roehl, Howard Ikemoto and Julie Connell.
In my practice I have stepped away from the traditional acids, metal plates and solvents that are found in many printmaking studios. By using non-toxic materials and printing methods I've established a safe space to teach and create. Located in the middle of a garden my studio is equipped with a Griffin IV press, large work surfaces and abundant natural light. Private printmaking workshops are available for up to four students at a time.
I enjoy creating series of monoprints and mixed media pieces with a focus on the play of color, transparency and repeating abstract botanical forms. Shadows and ghost images support pigment-rich shapes creating dynamic surfaces. My collection is well archived and constantly growing.
My work hangs on the walls of eight Kaiser Medical offices and has been exhibited in numerous national art competitions as well as at venues such as The Monterey Museum of Art, The Bolinas Museum, The Springfield Museum and The Triton Museum.
Grand Image: How did you get your start in art?
SF: I am fortunate to come from an artistic family where creativity was encouraged. As a child I would spend hours drawing, painting and building dioramas - my first introduction to creative immersion.
Grand Image: How did you develop your style?
SF: My more recent monoprints and mixed media pieces focus on the play of color, transparency and repeating abstract botanical forms. This style has emerged from my training at UC Santa Cruz in the Science Illustration program where I learned to see the beauty in nature. These motifs were further ingrained when I took my studio to a non-toxic workspace when I began using alternative printing techniques which give my prints their signature form.
Grand Image: Where are you from and how is that reflected in your work?
SF: I am lucky enough to live in Santa Cruz, California - a beach community on the Central Coast. We have access to the ocean, chaparral habitat, and redwood forests which provide an endless source of inspiration.
Grand Image: How has your relationship with art changed the way you view the world?
SF: With my focus on natural forms I am astute to interesting and unusual shapes found in nature. My art style encourages me to be more aware of the natural beauty around us.
Grand Image: What was the inspiration behind your “Miniflora” series?
SF: Printmaking is a dynamic medium in which many techniques can be used in a single print. The Miniflora series began when I was transitioning from traditional printmaking techniques that use acids and corrosive salts to etch a plate, solvents to clean the ink and heavy metal plates to create images. When I moved towards drypoint (using a sharp etching tool to create a texture on an acrylic plate) and learned about monoprinting with stencil board it was clear that the two techniques could be combined to get a layered effect in the finished print. Naturally I turned to the abstracted botanical shapes that had been emerging in my drawings. Most of the prints in this series are run through the press three times to create the final image - drypoint, offset, stencil and ghostprinting are used in this series. Some are finished with paint, colored pencil or crayon.
The ability to play with color combinations is easy with the pigment-rich, linseed oil-based inks that I use. The addition of a transparency medium knocks back the colors to a more neutral palette which is as enjoyable to work with as the vibrant colors in some of the Miniflora pieces.
Grand Image: How many years have you been an artist? Can you tell us about a key moment in your journey that helped define your style or your identity?
SF: I've been a practicing printmaker since my first night class at our community college in 1994 and set up my own studio in 1998 in a rented, windowless garage near our home. Once we were able to buy a home where I have a dedicated, light-filled studio in my backyard garden I felt like I had 'arrived' and could call myself a working artist. In 2017 the conscious decision to use non-toxic materials contributed to my current style of layered botanical forms using drypoint, stencil, ghostprinting and offset.
Grand Image: What is your current source of inspiration?
SF: The nature that surrounds us.
Grand Image: What does your artwork say about you as a person?
SF: When people ask me what my work means I can honestly answer, 'I like to make art that is pleasing to look at'. It's that simple. I have no message, no agenda - my goal is to bring more beauty into a world that needs all the grace it can get.
Grand Image: What artists inspire you?
SF: We have an excellent and supportive printmaking community in Santa Cruz County which creates inspiring work.
Grand Image: If you could have your artwork hung anywhere in the world, where would you like that to be and why?
SF: A location where many people could see my art and enjoy it.
Grand Image: You note in your bio that you teach private workshops. What do you enjoy about teaching?
SF: The process of teaching printmaking in my home studio is a joyful experience where I can share this dynamic technique with students. By far my favorite moment is 'the reveal' when students have heard my lecture, created a plate, inked it and cranked the plate/paper through the press. When they peel back the paper to see the image they created you can see the excitement in their eyes. They get it - the fun of pushing ink into paper.
Grand Image: Do you choose to stay on top of current trends? If so, how? If not, why not?
SF: No, I do not follow trends. Botanicals are fairly timeless.
Grand Image: What is your favorite way to implement self care?
SF: The process of immersive creation gives me tremendous pleasure and satisfaction. By dedicating time in the studio I am caring for my creative self. By far my favorite time in the studio is on a cool night when the rain beats down on the roof, the heater is on and the music is off. Nature, silence and the opportunity to make whatever I want with my materials on hand - it's a gift.
Grand Image: What advice would you give someone starting out as an artist?
SF: Just start making art and make a lot of it. Your style will emerge the longer you use your creative muscles. If you are concerned about the cost of supplies use found or inexpensive material. Stunning work has been made with cardboard and tape; paper and pencil; remainder house paint and scavenged lumber. If you are shy about sharing your work, don't. If you are proud of your work, share it. Make art for yourself primarily. If you can monetize it to support yourself, great. If you choose to file it away from public eyes, great. No judgment.
Mark Your Calendar:
Catch Stacy Frank’s artwork on display at the Filoli Art Walk in Woodside, CA from July 27 - July 28, 2024.
For more info, please visit: https://filoli.org/art-walk/