Photographs by ChiChi Ubiña

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in rural Chester County, Pennsylvania in a wonderful old farmhouse known affectionately as Mildew Manor. The property had been a working dairy farm and I can remember the cows being loaded into trucks on the day we moved in. My parents cultivated beautiful gardens and gave me an early introduction to nature appreciation.

What influences did you have growing up that made you become an artist?
My mother encouraged me to draw, paint and try virtually every art media. She was, and at 90 still is, an artist. She made wonderful hooked rugs of her own designs. She sketched and painted and always had several projects going at a time. When I was 18, I had the opportunity to apprentice with Tom Bostelle, a well-known Chadds Ford artist. He did large dramatic paintings of people and horses that were dreamlike and nightmarish at the same time. Although this was Andrew Wyeth country, he was the anti-Wyeth and his studio was in a rambling old arcade building on the Brandywine River at Lenape Park, one of the oldest amusement parks in the country. I went there every week to learn to draw from a life model. Sometimes, we would set up on a hilltop and draw the rolling landscapes of Lenape. In the studio, he would play classical music and expound on literature and art to his students. I was both afraid of him and in awe at the same time, but his emphasis on simple elegant line and form, and strong composition has stayed with me. Ironically, I also consider both Andrew and Jamie Wyeth to be big influences on my art. They both captured the beauty of the region, but also the rawness and quiet drama of the countryside in a language that is elegant and graceful.

Tell us a bit about your art:
Drawing has been a lifelong passion. To draw is to see, to observe the world in the most intimate way. The various techniques of printmaking can be especially suited to drawing. I make etchings, monotypes and monoprints. Printmaking is an art of processes that requires planning and technical expertise but, at its most satisfying, can bring unexpected and spontaneous results.

My subject matter has always been influenced by where I have lived. In 1986, I moved with my husband to Brazil, two weeks after we married. We immersed ourselves in the Brazilian culture and explored the urban and country landscapes extensively. I documented the people and the places in photographs and drawings. After three years, we moved to South Florida, I adjusted my focus to the diverse ethnic population of West Palm Beach, drawing and painting people on the streets.

When I moved to Northeast in 1993, I turned my focus to the distinctive beauty of the region. Since then, trees and woodland landscapes have been the main focus of my work.

What would you consider your style?
My work ranges from realistic to abstract. I have been told my trees have both haunting and peaceful qualities. Benjamin Genocchio of The New York Times referred to my images as “rich and luminous.” I am interested in not just the beauty but also the starkness and severity of the natural world and see it as representative of the frailty of life everywhere.

How long have you been making prints? Where did you study?
I was introduced to etching in college at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, MA, and I was instantly taken with the process of using acid and different kinds of resists on a zinc plate (copper was more expensive then), and a printing press to develop an image. Eventually, I earned a Masters degree in art with a focus on printmaking, studying with Arthur Silver.

Who are some artists that have influenced your work, and how?
There are so many! Everyone from Picasso, Edgar Degas and Mary Cassat to Helen Frankenthaler, Chuck Close and Will Barnet. They have all been influences on me and each brought something different to printmaking. Interestingly, many of the traditional techniques used by Rembrandt and Dürer are still used today. Now there are new methods and frequently, traditional methods like etching and lithography are combined with techniques like solar plate, Xerox transfer and monotypes.

What are some trends we should look out for in art?
Original prints of all kinds. Print collecting is fun and is often more affordable than collecting paintings. More significantly, there are so many exciting and creative printmakers working today. The Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Norwalk, CT, where I serve on the Board of Directors, is a great local resource to learn about prints, to learn how to make a print and to enjoy art.

Tell us about your upcoming shows
January 7 - February 16, 2011 Solo Exhibition, Hiram Halle Memorial Library, Pound Ridge, NY
January 2011 Bedford Art Show, Bedford, New York, Juried Exhibition
February 23 to April 1, 2011 Solo Exhibition, Rockwell Gallery, Ridgefield, CT
October 2011 Solo Exhibition, Audubon Society, Greenwich, CT

Sally Frank’s work can be viewed at www.sallyfrank.net.
She is represented by LGE Fine Art Consulting, www.lgefineart.com.