Current Work
Archive Work
Artist Statement 2011
Ken Frink
My goal is to provide space for contemplation of natural forces. I make art as an attempt to understand the world. I am more interested in energy and action than nouns. Since I moved to New Mexico, five years ago, I have found endless inspiration from the environment around me. My abstract images are about a super-reality that transcends the visual-reality of the world.
Lately, I have been very interested in Adolph Gottlieb's "bursts" and Wassily Kandinsky's writing. Both of these artists create mood and energy through their judicious use of color.
Color is an important element in my artwork. When I paint, I begin with a balanced layering of tones to convey emotion and energy. From this color field I have an emotional response that guides the development of a composition. In contrast, etching is interesting to me because the marks can exist on a copper plate separate from any notion of color. The marks are made first and color choices are refined later. Working with varied media helps me to better understand the challenge of artmaking.
Kenneth Russell Frink
Born March 5, 1976, Ashland, Oregon
Frink grew up in Ashland, Oregon, a small town in the Southern Oregon Cascade Mountains. In 1993, he enrolled at Southern Oregon University where he studied figure drawing and lithography. He spent a year painting independently, after which he enrolled At Pacific Northwest College of Art, (PNCA) in Portland Oregon. He also spent one year studying in Rome with Tyler School of Art. He graduated from PNCA with a printmaking BFA in 1999.
Frink moved to Brooklyn, New York in 2000. He worked at the Childrens Museum of Art and facilitated an after school painting program for at risk youth. Without access to a print studio, Frink returned to painting. While in New York, he gained exposure to numerous artists in museums and galleries throughout the city.
In 2003, Frink drove across the Southern United States painting, eventually stopping in New Orleans, Louisiana. Here he met painter and friend Iva Gueorguieva who strongly effected his use of color.
After Hurricane Katrina, Frink returned to Oregon for a one year artist residency at PNCA. In 2006, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his work has continued to evolve, influenced by the natural beauty surrounding him.
Frink has exhibited his work in Rome, Italy; New York, New York; Miami, Florida; Washington DC; New Orleans, Louisiana; Portland, Oregon; and Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is currently working on etchings at New Grounds Print Studio, as well as painting at his home in Albuquerque.
Résumé
Ken Frink
Albuquerque, New Mexico
contact@kenfrink.com
kenfrink.com
Born 3/5/76, Ashland, OR
Education
1999 BFA, Printmaking, Pacific Northwest College of Art
Junior year in Rome, Italy, Temple University
Honors
2005 Artist in Residence, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR
2000 Artist Honorarium, Children's Museum of Art, Manhattan, NY
Selected Exhibitions
2010 Bosque Paintings, The Normal Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2009 Dia de los Muertos, South Broadway Cultural Center, Albuquerque, NM
2006 The Transitory Nature of Dreams, William and Joseph Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2006 Katrina Benefit, The Carriage House, Washington, DC
2006 Residency, Gallery 212, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR
2006 Katrina Benefit, Winter Garden, World Financial Center, New York, NY
2005 Nude, Muse Gallery, New Orleans, LA
2004 D’Alley Artists, New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, New Orleans, LA
2003 Home, Project A, Ashland, OR
2001 Children's Museum of Art, Manhattan, NY
2000 Tomato, Vision Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
1999 BFA Thesis Show, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR
Gallery Representation
2011-2012 New Grounds Print Studio, Albuquerque, NM
2005-2011 William and Joseph Gallery, New Orleans, LA; Santa Fe, NM
2010-2011 PK Gallery, New Orleans, LA
2006-2007 Salome Fine Art, Miami, FL