Frank Wilson is a member of the INTERNATIONAL GUILD OF REALISM.
ARTIST'S 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 back country 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.”
BIO
A full time professional artist for over thirty years, Frank's formal art education took place at the School of Practical Art and the Art Institute of Boston with further studies under Marko Lolo Marchi and Steven Yankopolis. Over the years, the artist has won many awards for his paintings and sculptures. In September of 2005 he was awarded the City of Chico, California, COBA “Peoples Choice Award” and a commission for a large outdoor mural. His work has been featured in the New York State Museum, and in art galleries in New England, Virginia, North Carolina and California as well as in Zurich and Geneva, Switzerland.
On October 9, 1998 he was a featured artist on ABC's nationally televised "Good Morning America" show.
A prolific painter, Wilson has created over 2500 highly detailed works in oils and watercolors since 1995 in addition to hundreds of sculptures. His paintings are in private and corporate art collections in dozens of countries on five continents. The wilds of nature, in all it's diversity, is the common denominator for this multi-talented artist.
The hills and mountains in the wilderness areas of Northern New England and Northern California are the inspiration for his widely ranging work in water media and in oils. Hiking by the light of the full moon has inspired Frank to create a series of "nocturnal" watercolors.
Climbing in the high country, the artist has witnessed the light of dawn and dusk and translated those moments into dramatic paintings. These unique watercolor and gouache paintings capture the magic of a moonlit winter's evening or a mountain sunset.
Sunny days or violent storms, clouds play an important role in many of his landscapes. Wilson also paints in oils which he prefers to emphasize the atmospheric quality of mountain vistas and the winding trails he loves to hike.
Still-life painting fills in those times when the artist cannot venture into the wilds. Wilson is known for his "landscape portraits" of well known natural beauty spots and detailed paintings of wildlife. His wildlife art has been exhibited in many of the major Eastern Wildlife Art Shows. Two of his wildlife paintings were published in Canada as limited edition prints of six thousand each which sold out soon after publication.
Frank Wilson has always had a deep appreciation for natural beauty and a reverence for the natural world. His passion is evident in each of his works, whether it be a small gouache study an oil painting or a large mural.
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"Art attracts us only by what it reveals of our most secret self."