"Foraging" Painting

Frank Bruckmann-artist statement


In my late 20’s I discovered painting and enrolled at DuCret School of Art in NJ, and the Art Students League in New York City. I found art was an effective and satisfying way to express myself. Oil painting became my primary medium. I spent nearly a decade between France at the Ecole de Beaux Arts, and in Spain, studying the Masters in the great museums. These informative years solidified my intent to become a full time painter.

I usually land on a theme for a new body of work because I want the challenge of painting something complex but then I find I am drawn to the subject matter for more significant reasons. In two bodies of work, Occupational Spirit (2009), and Breaking Bread (2015), I am asserting the importance of human contact…of having a relationship to your family, your friends, your community by sharing a meal, or getting your oil changed or your hair cut from the local tradesmen; as opposed to giving your dollars to the box stores, or chain restaurants. Through these bodies of work, I was challenged technically, and generally happy with the painted results, but the byproduct of provoking some conversation around how we choose to live, which was of interest to many, was a great surprise.

My evolution as a painter has resulted from painting almost daily, (with phases of sleep-deprived intensity), from observing other artists’ work, and traveling to landscapes that deserve being preserved. During fair weather I follow the sun and paint when the light is just right. Studio work with live models and varied subject matter keep me busy when winter comes to New England, spending many evenings painting through the night. In the quiet of night I enter a flow of creativity, a state of exhilarating productivity. Painting is the way I interact with the world, to explain who I am; as opposed to using speech or written communication, two methods that I find can be very difficult.