Frank first lived in Atotonilco, a small community just outside of San Miguel. Home to an 18th century church, Atotonilco is a sleepy little town that bursts to life on many weekends with a colorful marketplace.
Scenes of this town inspired many of Gardner's first paintings done in Mexico.
Inspired by his surroundings, Frank enjoys working both in the studio and on location or "en plein air". His style adeptly captures
his subjects' moods and emotions, whether it be paintings of dramatic landscapes, colorful marketplaces, or boats in a harbor. The combination of confident brushwork, dynamic compositions and lively color invokes true character in Frank's
work.
Gardner makes frequent plein air painting trips the source of inspiration for new works. One or two trips a year to New York and New
Hampshire often include a trip to Cape Cod to paint with painter friends "A good deal of my work has Mexican themes, but more and more I have been using painting trips to explore new ideas and to keep my paintings fresh," says the
artist. Frank considers many of his paintings done on location to be finished works and some may serve as studies for larger works done later in his studio.
Gardner has been pursuing art full-time since 1996. His work is part of many fine collections across the United States, Mexico, Canada and
Europe. Frank's work is represented by Windrush Gallery in Sedona, AZ., Galeria Gardner in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Old Town Gallery in San José del Cabo BCS, México. |
