Frank Gardner graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1986 with a BFA in Painting. His desire to find true inspiration for his paintings eventually led him to Mexico. Frank first visited Mexico and San Miguel de Allende with RISD in 1985 and immediately fell in love with the town. In 1990 he returned for a visit. It wasn't long before he decided to relocate there permanently.
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 friend and fellow painter Peter Kalill. "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.
Even when painting in the studio, Frank works quickly, and tries to keep his paintings fresh and simple. "I used to try and include too much; plein air painting has helped me with that," explains the artist. "When you are out on location painting you don't have time to put in a lot of extra details. I try to paint the important things and leave a little for the viewer's imagination."
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 Old Town Gallery in San José del Cabo, BCS, México; Galeria La Manzanilla, La Manzanilla, Jalisco, México; Gallery Frank Gardner in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and at frankgardner.com