Artistic Development
Influenced by the old masters and the Surrealists my earlier work could be described as hyper-realist/surrealist. After graduating from O.C.A.D. in 1982, I abandoned these methods and focused on abstraction influenced by Klee, Kandinsky, and eventually Sigmar Polke and Gerhard Richter. During this time I also completed graphic works in the form of two underground black and white comic books and, subsequently three full colour comic books.
After a series of one-man shows in the eighties, I participated annually in various artist curated group shows from 1989 to the present, including the upcoming "The Big Show" scheduled for May 2005 in Toronto. My work has come full circle during a decade of scenic work for film, into a more representational format, using projections as reference. From 2001 to 2004 I completed a series of paintings entitled "Obsession" which was shown at Gallery 1313 (Toronto), Joseph D. Carrier Gallery (Toronto) and Artwork Gallery (Collingwood).
I am also developing a series of small photo-realist paintings that source photojournalist imagery from world wide stock exchanges and focus on microcosms of their blurred activities. This work was shown at Zsa-Zsa Gallery in September 2004 and a continuation of it is being shown in New York at the Noho Gallery in Chelsea.
Other works in progress include a series of painted abstractions that border between non-objective, landscape, figurative absurdities and pop cultural references.
I'm also currently developing a collaborative multi-media project called "The Uncommitted" using live music sampling, live action painting and multi-layered film projections.
Frank Perna
