October 2016
Haynes Galleries presents “Zoey Frank: Connections & Changes”
October 7 to November 19, 2016
Reception: Friday, 5 p.m. to 7:30 pm, October 7, 2016
NASHVILLE—One of the brightest young artists in Contemporary Realism is returning to Haynes Galleries to showcase her newest works. Zoey Frank’s compelling new paintings are on view from October 7 to November 19 in “Zoey Frank: Connections & Changes.” An opening reception will take place on the evening of October 7, Friday, from 5 to 7:30 pm with Frank in attendance. An Art Talk with Frank led by arts writer Sara Lee Burd where they will discuss her work and take questions from guests will take place the following morning, October 8, beginning at 10am. The exhibition, opening, and Art Talk are free and open to the public.
In the past couple years Zoey Frank has explored human interaction and elements of change in her paintings. These explorations were only just beginning in 2014 when Frank had her first solo show at Haynes Galleries. But she has pushed the ideas further recently and incorporated new elements, resulting in images that compel viewers to look longer.
“I’ve represented Zoey for almost as long as I have had the gallery,” says Gary R. Haynes, founder of Haynes Galleries. “In the years since I met her she has grown by leaps and bounds. She is driven to explore new ways to express her classic training with paint in fresh and exciting approaches. Zoey lets the ideas evolve and the narratives are almost in realtime so they move and change. She strives to make art that connects and she is making lots of connections.”
Frank is making those connections with a renewed interest in structuring her figure paintings around narrative elements. They are usually based on specific events in her own life but the content is open enough for viewers to apply their own experiences to Frank’s characters. In Brunch, Frank weaved a personal narrative into a scene that is formally inspired by a painting by the great Spanish master Velázquez. In it friends and family gather for an alfresco meal under a flourishing lemon tree on a beautiful sunny day. For viewers Frank’s specific story is unclear but that is for what she aspired. “I don’t want just a single narrative,” she says.
Another prominent theme in Frank’s new work is change, specifically how paintings change over the period time she works on them. In her figurative work, it can be how a model’s pose is adjusted over the course of several sittings. In a cityscape, it is how the skyline evolves depending on the day’s light. Frank does not completely paint over the previous design. Layers of paint from earlier in the process show through. Edges are left soft. It helps make the work more inclusive but also acts as a record of Frank’s process and every decision that led to the final result. It’s a glimpse into the mind of the artist.
Frank has also been pushing her use of color and pattern. White Bed is the result of her experiment in painting with a predominantly white palette. Warm and cool light bounce off the marble white bodies. The unifying palette also let Frank focus on how the figures relate to one another in space and mood.
Patterning appears in her figure paintings as well as her still lifes. Frank enjoys using it because “it confuses the picture plane. It can make a space read as flat but also 3 dimensional depending on how you use it.” The patterning comes in many forms in the new paintings— ornate tiles, woven scarves, floral wallpaper— and each time it adds another layer of visual interest.
Frank’s new paintings are a clear indication of her technical gifts and bright future as she explores new ideologies. “Zoey Frank: Connections & Changes” will be the perfect mid-summer platform for guests to soak it all in and experience the byproduct of Frank’s skill.