Frank Wilson Hall Of Fame Artist

Artist Statement

“My paintings spring from a life long involvement with the wilderness areas of Northern New England and more recently, in Northern California.  From an early age, I combined my passion for the wilds of nature with my art.  This passion has greatly influenced the academic and professional directions I have taken in life, including where I chose to make my home, most recently in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California.

When hiking and rock climbing in the high country, I look for the immense power and drama inherent in the untamed landscape.  That is what I seek to portray in my art.  Clouds contribute to the spiritual and emotional impact of a wilderness scene and I try to capture that in my paintings.  In my work, you will not find much man made impact on the landscape, other than a hiking trail or back country road.  I have always sought to capture the unspoiled and pristine vistas that are rapidly vanishing in our world.

 Throughout my career, I have made a conscious choice to paint natural, wild, beautiful and inspiring landscapes instead of the “dark themes” that I see so often in exhibitions of so called “cutting edge” art.

 I take pride in the craftsmanship of my art as well, using only the finest archival materials in the paintings and in the framing.”

What Frank loves about Grumbacher…

“Grumbacher and I go back a long way. The first oil paints I ever painted with back in 1962 were Grumbacher’s Pre-Tested.  By my first year in high school, (1964) my entire studio was outfitted with the following Grumbacher products; oil paints, brushes, brush holders and washers, canvas panels, stretcher bars, drawing papers, charcoals, paper pads, a huge Grumbacher pastel set with 180 colors, both watercolor and gouache sets, a pantograph, canvas pliers, and a host of other Grumbacher art products and accessories too numerous to mention. I was awarded many gold medals and blue ribbons for my art that was all created using Grumbacher materials.

 As a student at the Art Institute Of Boston from 1968 to 1971 my paint boxes were always full of Grumbacher supplies. I tried other brands but always came back to my first choice in art materials… Grumbacher.

Grumbacher’s oil painting mediums and Pre-tested Oils and have never failed me over my 43 year career as a professional artist and I still rely on their consistent quality from tube to tube to produce my award winning art. As a testimonial to the supreme quality of Grumbacher brushes, I’m still using three Grumbacher Gainsborough Bristle Flat Brushes # 10, 11 & 12 that I purchased in 1962!”

Frank recommends Oil Painting Medium II

Using Grumbacher since 1962