Elizabeth Frank (Day 3)
Elizabeth Frank
she, her
Primary Medium: Mixed Media 2D & 3D | Técnica mixta 2D y 3D
About the Artist
I'm a carved wood, mixed media artist living in southern Arizona, seventy miles north of the US/Mexico border. This region of the Sonoran Desert is known for its sky islands, mountain ranges that rise abruptly from the desert or grasslands. The varied topography creates ecosystems of exceptionally high biodiversity. A guiding ethic in my life is to walk lightly on the Earth. I create pieces predominantly from sustainable, and reclaimed materials. Each year I visit aspen forests to collect naturally downed wood for my carvings. I view each journey as a pilgrimage. For my artwork, I've chosen a style that blends the folkloric, mythic, and sacred. In my visual narrative, current sociopolitical issues, such as threats to the natural world, and causes for human migration mix with reasons to be hopeful and beauty to celebrate. Whether inspired by walking in the forests or deserts of the Southwest, observing the trees, cacti, or animals, helping to free a coyote from a steel jaw trap, or witnessing people walking silently, single file across the desert from the US/Mexico border in search of safety, I make art to keep my life in balance with the lives of the other living beings on Earth.- https://www.ElizabethFrank.com
How to Purchase
Cash and credit cards accepted.About this Event
Join carved wood and mixed media artist Elizabeth Frank for the grand opening of her new studio located in the backyard garden. The studio is customized to fit Elizabeth’s unique processes of carving found aspen wood that she collects in the mountains and then delicately painting the assembled constructions. At the studio you can see the work space, learn about the various tools and processes used in creating the artwork and view a selection of Elizabeth’s sculpture and mixed media creations.
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Other 2024 OST Events from this Artist
About the Studio
City of Tucson Ward: Ward 6
Pima County District: District 5
About the Art
About the Process
It all begins with fallen aspen branches or reclaimed wood. I make at least one trip annually to the mountains of the southwestern United States to gather the aspen that I'll use over the course of the year. Each of my visits to the forest is like a pilgrimage. Every time I return I'm inspired by the strength and the delicacy of the natural world. I try to include these observations in every piece that I make. After the aspen is collected it's dried. Once dry I cut and shape the rough branches with a band saw. Next I make a puzzle of all the odd parts. I spread them out on the floor, stack them up on a table and move them around until everything seems to fit. The pieces are carved in small components that are joined together with pegs and nails. The surface is painted with acrylic, metal leaf and wax. I combine my carved constructions with found objects. The found items I use represent artifacts of man and nature. I consider each visual element as a writer might a word in a poem. I look for symbols that are personal and universal. I'm drawn to themes that are timely and timeless, the relationship between man and nature, the human impact on the environment, transience, humor, mystery and grace. Like most artists my studio is filled with all sorts of unusual things. Mine happens to have more of what others discard. When I see furniture scraps, tree limbs and bits of metal piled in a corner beside a completed sculpture I feel like an alchemist. For me though alchemy is less about turning lead into gold than it is about the potential we all have to positively transform our world.Explore Nearby Studios
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