HOULTON, Maine — Littleton artist Frank Sullivan will have his works on display in downtown Houlton starting Saturday, March 17, with a special gallery opening.
Hosted by Wired Cafe at 23 Market Square, Sullivan’s paintings are part of a show entitled “The Way I remember It,” featuring 24 recent oil paintings inspired by the landscape of Aroostook County.
“Although the inspiration for most of my work comes from landscape motifs, each of my paintings is really a self-portrait.” Sullivan said. “I have always spent a great deal of my time outdoors in all seasons, walking, running, cycling and, of course, drawing. I feel most at home when I am surrounded by nature. The past year has been a watershed for me as my work has moved away from topographical description and become more abstract and more personal. Ultimately, my goal is to create visual images that are a manifestation of myself and my process is as much about personal growth as it is about aesthetics. I look forward to giving people an opportunity to experience this new work.”
Littleton artist Frank Sullivan will have a collection of paintings on display at Wired Cafe in downtown Houlton starting Friday, March 17, with an opening reception from 6-8 p.m.
(Courtesy of Frank Sullivan)
His work will be on display through April 26 and the public is invited to attend the exhibition’s opening with the artist, on Saturday, March 17, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Sullivan moved to Aroostook County in January 2006, leaving a successful career as a graphic designer, illustrator and art director in Massachusetts, to devote himself to focus on his art full time.
He showed an interest in art at an early age, spending countless hours drawing. Through high school, he studied with a local artist, George Lynch. In 1986 he earned a bachelor’s degree in visual arts from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he studied drawing and printmaking with Elizabeth Peak.
While at Holy Cross, Sullivan was fortunate to be exposed to the work of visiting artists Michael Mazur and Richard Sheehan, whose work had a lasting impact on him. He later attended The American University on a graduate fellowship in printmaking, studied figure drawing at the Worcester Art Museum School and completed the Graphic Design Certificate program at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where he studied 2-D design, color theory and advanced drawing under Maggie Fitzpatrick and illustration under Joe Landry.
Upon arriving in Maine, he converted an old potato house on his property into a studio and gallery. He has shared his passion for art through classes and workshops at his studio as well as numerous schools and organizations throughout the County. He currently teaches drawing at the University of Maine in Presque Isle and art appreciation and drawing classes at Northern Maine Community College. Sullivan’s artwork hangs in private collections throughout the United States.
He writes regularly about his artistic process on the Rainbarrow Studio blog at: http://rainbarrowstudio.blogspot.com. Sullivan also discusses visual arts and the art-making process in an ongoing series of YouTube videos on his channel “The Artist In His Studio.”
