Member of the International Guild Of Realism.
Inducted into the Grumbacher Artist Hall Of Fame.
ARTIST STATEMENT 'My aim is to provide the visual stimulus to reconnect with nature, to renew body, mind and spirit through the imagery that I capture of the natural world with brushes and paint and through my camera lens. I hope that you find an image in my collections that will enhance your life.'
ABOUT THE ARTIST ~ FRANK WILSON
As far back as my memory serves me, I was a creative. My family says I was born with a crayon in my mouth. Drawing, building things, making pictures with crayons were an everyday staple in my early childhood. While hospitalized in the eighth grade for some respiratory problems, an Aunt gave me a paint-by-number set. I did the painting and when it was dry I turned the panel over and did my own painting with the leftover paints. That started my passion for painting in oils.
Marko Lolo Marchi was my high school art teacher and he fanned those flames of creativity in me into a blaze that still burns brightly today. He entered my work in the New England Scholastic Arts Awards program, the most prestigious recognition initiative for creative teens where I was awarded a Blue Ribbon, Best in Show and a Regional Gold Key for artistic excellence out of all works submitted from the five New England States. It was set, there were no other alternatives, against the advice of family and friends I was going to be a professional artist no matter what the obstacles.
At the Art Institute Of Boston, (1968 to 1971) I majored in Editorial Illustration and minored in Photography. The Fine Art department did not offer what I wanted. I was focused on realism and the Fine Art Department, as in most art schools of that time, emphasized abstract expressionism. I had no desire to splash, drip and throw paint at my canvas, I wanted to create the illusion of three dimensions on a two-dimensional surface in the tradition of the Old Masters. I spent all my spare time studying masterworks at the Boston Museum Of Fine Art. I continued to learn from Marko while, working in his art gallery in the Greater Boston area during my studies at the Art Institute Of Boston.
I consider Marko the greatest art mentor in my life. I remain in contact with him to this day. What made my art career possible was the full support my wife gave in my decision to become a professional artist. She married me with my senior year still ahead of me at the Art Institute Of Boston.
I do not think that my passion for art could have survived the many unique hardships that come when one is building a career in the fine arts field. The lonely study, the practice, the endless hours trying to unravel the mysteries of art, years spent gaining experience in seeing and decades spent sharpening one as technical skills are the price one pays for a field in which few, given the number of those pursuing art, find sufficient financial independence. She knew this and has worked tirelessly with me taking care of the 'business end' of our fine art enterprise.
Within a year of finishing my studies, my wife and I opened the Tradewinds Gallery in East Gloucester Massachusetts. While living on an oceanfront estate with the Atlantic just 40 feet from my front door, my passion for the sea grew and I became intimately familiar with capturing the many moods of the sea along with it's complex wave dynamics. A few years later I began exhibiting in juried art shows along the northeast. We moved from living right on the open Atlantic in East Gloucester, Massachusetts to the lush Green Mountains of central Vermont. New subjects to explore in the mountains!
My base of loyal collectors grew year by year and galleries began asking to represent me. Invitational shows followed at several Museums in the Northeast including the New York State Museum (1888-1989). Publishers sought out my work for limited edition prints and over 12,000 prints were sold in Canada. Three galleries in Switzerland represented my sculptures in porcelain.
Commissions for custom came in and I worked long hours in my studio pursuing my passion. ABC's nationally televised Good Morning America Show did a segment on my work in 1998. Hiking in the wilderness provided the inspiration to create art that reflected the chaos and beauty of untamed areas. The forests, mountains, rivers, and streams around me fueled my passion for painting and sculpting. I was living the dream I had since the eighth grade.
In 2002 we moved to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California where, with my son and hiking partner, Adam, discovered the breathtaking scenery in the Sierras. In my hikes and explorations, I was deeply moved by the glorious majesty of the western mountains with so much bare rock, such great heights, and wide panoramic vistas! Lake Tahoe and the surrounding mountains became a favorite area for inspiration.
Mural commissions came in from cities, businesses, and private homeowners. Galleries represented my works in Gouache (an opaque watercolor) and oils. To keep up with the demand for my work I began offering prints of my work on a variety of surfaces and sizes. My websites opened new opportunities for me to connect with collectors worldwide. I am amazed that my records show that my work is in collections in dozens of countries on five continents!
My passion to create still burns hotly today and my creative output remains very high as I continue to capture in paint and pixels the glories of the natural world that inspires me.
ARTISTS STATEMENT 'My paintings spring from a life-long involvement with the wilderness areas of Northern New England and more recently, in Northern California. From an early age, I combined my passion for the wilds of nature with my art. This passion has greatly influenced the academic and professional directions I have taken in life, including where I chose to make my home, most recently in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California.
When hiking and rock climbing in the high country, I look for the immense power and drama inherent in the untamed landscape. That is what I seek to portray in my art. Clouds have always intrigued me with their contribution to the spiritual and emotional impact of a wilderness scene and I try to incorporate those values in my paintings.
In my work, you will not find not much man made impact on the landscape, other than a hiking trail or backcountry road. I have always sought to capture the unspoiled and pristine vistas that are rapidly vanishing in our world. Throughout my career, I have made a conscious choice to paint wild, beautiful, natural, and inspiring landscapes instead of the 'dark themes' that I see so often in exhibitions of 'cutting edge' art.
I take pride in the craftsmanship of my art as well, using only the finest archival materials in the paintings and in the framing.' RESUME ART EDUCATION: School of Practical Art, Boston MA 1968 Art Institute of Boston, 1969 - 1971 Further studies under - Marko Lolo Marchi and Steven Yankopolis
OTHER: January 23 & 24 2009 Frank and his wife, Toni, were featured artists on a CBS Action News story about Frank's art Featured Artist on ABC's nationally televised 'Good Morning America' show aired October 9th, 1998
Selected for the City of Chico's COBA Art Board Project for 2004 & 2005
Owner and operator of the Tradewinds Gallery, East Gloucester, Massachusetts 1971 to 1973
One of only 54 internationally selected artists showing on ArtStudio54.com
JURIED, INVITATIONAL and ONE PERSON EXHIBITS: (partial listing)
New York State Museum, 'Invitational Art Exhibit', South Hall Gallery, Albany, NY 1988
New York State Museum, 'Invitational Art Exhibit', Terrace Gallery, Albany, NY 1989
Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences, 'International Wildlife Art Exhibit', Woodstock, VT 1986-1997
Vermont Council on the Arts, 'State House Art Exhibit', State Capitol Building, Montpelier, VT 1988
Chaffee Art Center, 'Wildlife Art Exhibit', Rutland VT 1990
Montshire Museum, 'Art & Science Exhibit', Norwich, VT 1991
Helen Day Art Center, 'For Art Sake', Stowe, VT 1990 - 2000
Flat Rock Brook Museum, 'Wildlife Art Exhibit', Englewood, NJ 1991
New Hampshire Art Association's 'Annual Exhibit', Sunapee, NH 1991-2001
Vermont State Craft Gallery December 2001 - January 2002 'Moonlight In Vermont' the Work Of Frank S. Wilson
Avenue 9 Gallery 'From The Garden' Chico, California May 2004
Northwoods Gallery, Chester, California 'Featured Artist' for the month of November 2005
Doiron Gallery, Sacramento, CA March 10 to April 1, 2006 'The California Wilderness - A Preservationists View'
Arte Junction Gallery Of Fine Art, Winters, CA, 'Featured Artist Month Long Showing'; November - December 2006
Avenue 9 Gallery, Chico, California 'Chico Icons, Waterworks' group exhibition December 2008 to January 2009
Avenue 9 Gallery, Chico, California 'Chico Icons, 'Ordinary ~ Extraordinary' group exhibition December 2009 to January 2010 COLLECTIONS:
Paintings and sculptures in private and corporate collections in dozens of countries on five continents.
Over 3000 original paintings sold through art galleries since 1995. Over twelve thousand prints sold.
AWARDS: (partial listing)
2022 BEST OF SHOW Award at the General Gomez Arts exhibition in Auburn California; 'Life In General' November 2022
2016 Special Merit Award in the 'Landscape' competition Light Space & Time Online Gallery (chosen from 738 entries) 2016
Third Place Award in the Turner Colour Works of Japan International Gouache Painting Competition 2013
Honorable Mention Award in the Turner Colour Works of Japan International Gouache Painting Competition 2012
Two Honorable Mentions in the Turner Colour Works of Japan International Gouache Painting Competition 2010
First Place Winner in the Turner Colour Works of Japan International Gouache Painting Competition 2010
Honorable Mention in the Turner Colour Works of Japan International Gouache Painting Competition 2008
Award of Artistic Excellence 2006
Measure of Artistic Success Award 2005 Winner
Peoples Choice Award City of Chico, CA COBA 2005 2005
Recipient of an Outdoor Mural Commission for the City of Chico California 1995
1st Place Sculpture, Helen Day Art Center, Stowe, VT
ORGANIZATIONS:
Member of the International Guild Of Realism since July 2007
Past juried member New Hampshire Art Association, Portsmouth, NH; 1985 to 2002;
Past juried member North Shore Art Association, East Gloucester, MA
Past juried member League Of New Hampshire Craftsmen 1978 to 2002
Past juried member Vermont State Craft Center, Windsor Vermont 1978 to 2004
Frank Wilson joined Pixels.com Licensing on October 5th, 2007.
