With Frank Gonzales
birds of a feather
T: For Frank, it's essential to get out and interact with nature. He’s fortunate to live in a property with a lot of growing plants, even indoors there are a lot of plants and he also tends a carnivorous plant terrarium. He finds it difficult to understand how people can see nature and themselves as separate from one-another.
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Blown away
I enjoyed making art as a kid, but didn't decide to pursue it seriously until my senior year in high school. It was then that my art teacher told me that there were people who actually made a living making art and I was blown away. Something clicked, I quit sports in my senior year and never looked back!
I went to community college and attended every art class I could take. I was fortunate to have instructors that focused on building a super strong foundation teaching classical drawing and painting techniques.
I attended the Laguna College of Art and Design and graduated with a BA in Painting and Drawing in 2003. In the ‘80s I was influenced early on by skateboard culture, gang writing and hip hop.
I was an only child and have always been an observer. I’m very comfortable by myself. I was fortunate to have parents that were supportive of my endeavors. They didn’t always approve, but they respected my creativity and let me express myself.
This was most notable in my bedroom where I covered the walls with graffiti, drawings, colors, etc. Little did I know until much much later in life that I was creating my own temple of creativity. I’m forever grateful for that.
I also used to create abstract marker drawings with a good friend of mine. We would sit and create drawings for hours and taped them all over his door and walls. We were making our own little gallery of art. These were good times!
Respected creativity
Anchor
I usually start with an image or colour as a starting point. I don’t really create any sketches beforehand. I let the imagery unfold as I go along.
I sometimes start with preparing the structure with colors and shapes to get things going. From there a complimentary coloured botanical or image I’ve been obsessed with at the moment will be an anchor and then other natural elements fall into place. I draw straight on the panel/canvas and make adjustments as I go along.
Inspiration is so multifaceted. It comes in so many forms from music, graphic design, decrepit buildings, plants, travel, movies, books, and life in general. I think it's a matter of being open to what’s around you. It's all right there in front of us.
I enjoy a good botanical garden. I try to visit the local gardens whenever I travel. I love visiting the Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens and the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. I'm a big fan of music as well. I can get down with most genres Art Miamifrom metal to electronica to jazz. I was fortunate to attend Art Miami this past December. Wow! it was art overload but super inspiring!
Multifaceted
into place."
then other natural elementsfall
"I find an anchor and
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birds of
a feather
"I find an anchor and
then other natural elements
fall into place."
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T: For Frank, it's essential to get out and interact with nature. He’s fortunate to live in a property with a lot of growing plants, even indoors there are a lot of plants and he also tends a carnivorous plant terrarium. He finds it difficult to understand how people can see nature and themselves as separate from one-another.