ARTIST FOR SALE by Leah Parker, Home Plus Scotland March- April 2009

We've grabbed contemporary figurative painter Frank To and made him justify what would make us bust our budget to bag him. Offers over, anyone?

Frank To was born in Glasgow in 1982. Having graduated from the University of Huddersfield with BA (Hons) Fine Art, he went on to gain a Masters of Fine Art from Duncan of Jordanstone Art College. Frank works from his studio in Glasgow and has exhibited alongside some of the greats of the Scottish and international art scene such as Peter Howson and Damien Hirst. Star Trek legend Patrick Stewart is a huge fan of To's work and classes the artist as a friend.

Inspiring views... I have always been inspired by personal life experiences, both good and bad. I feel that by using these allows the art work to become more personal to me and the viewers. Also it allows the audience to relate to the work more. It's these experiences that make life worth living.

Compact and bijou... I'm currently working on a new body of work for my exhibition, "Boundaries", at the Leith Gallery in April. I've also just finished a series of paintings for the Albemarle Gallery in London. Most of the new paintings have an underlying visual theme of a human figure emerging out from the darkness, refusing to be suppressed. It's only been during the past year that there has been more of an appreciation and demand for my darker pieces. I suppose they reflect more on my personality.

Recently refurbished... I moved into a bigger studio in Spring 2008, but I have only just finished refurbishing the room .I'm quite specific about the area where I create my work. I managed to get this beautiful old cherry wood study desk for the studio. Now I feel more comfortable and professional about my workspace.

Scope for development... The recent turmoil in the financial market has led a rise in demand for alternative investments such as fine wine and whisky. I think that in the current climate, fine art offers more of an attractive alternative investment. Depending on the artist, the value of art rarely falls over the medium to long term. Despite this, I still highly advise people to only buy artworks that they enjoy.


Benefits from... I work quite closely with P.S.Y.B.T (Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust). As a past P.S.Y.B.T supported client, I received an enormous amount of moral and financial support from the charity. Byworking with them, I can help promote the support and advice they can offer to young aspiring Scottish artists.

Much potential... In my spare time I work on abstract paintings. These are very expressive and highly emotional pieces. What I'm trying to portray is the dark side of my personality. The only way I can engage fully is by using method acting; a form of acting where the actor tries to replicate real life emotional conditions of the character. I'm also doing some personal research on Carl Jung's theory of the Shadow Side in the human mind. I just find the whole topic fascinating.

Original features... I enjoyed art when I was younger, but never really aspired to be an artist. I had a difficult time at home and school when I was a teenager. By the time I was 17 the whole ordeal left me depressed and eventually I was admitted to psychotherapy. Although I was getting help, art became an outlet for my problems. Eventually thanks to art school and actor friend, Patrick Stewart, it is now my "voice" in the world.
Desirable location... Whenever I'm in London, I stay in a beautiful Victorian three storey house. The area has such a diverse culture, history and scenery. Whenever I wake up in that house, I feel as though I'm living in late 19th century London.

Immaculately presented... I'm getting more attention for my unusual painting technique. It's inspired by the Renaissance sculptor, Michelangelo. It was said that Michelangelo could visualize the human form within a block of marble. Similarly, I tease out figures from initial abstract paintings.


Particulars.....

Favourite building... The Rockefeller Center In New York. It has amazing sculptures, a good restaurant and a very classy bar.

Hero is... The film director, Christopher Nolan.
Favorite material... old leather that's used on notebooks
Relaxation is... reading literature by Dante in a café
Biggest interiors nightmare... Anything that promotes clutter. I grew up in that environment and hated it.
My passions are... making artwork that best visualizes my inner thoughts and exhibiting them to the public. To be able to bring forth your ideas/ emotions to reality is a very unique gift and should not be taken for granted.
I'm getting into... SLR photography My modern must-have is... laptops
The next big thing is... iRobot Roomba 560 Vacuum Cleaning Robot
My fashion style is.. modern conservative gentleman with a hint of a dark side.
I collect... Fine art prints such as etchings and monoprints
I can't live without... my Blackberry and studio

*For more information, please visit the official website of Frank To Fine Artist.

HOT 100: MEET SCOTLAND'S MOST ELIGIBLE MEN & WOMEN, Scotland On Sunday 08/02/09

Hot 100: Meet Scotland's most eligible men and women

Funny, sexy, successful and intelligent: these are the men and women who have everything - except a significant other in their life. In Spectrum this week, we bring you all you need to know about Scotland's most wanted.

THE MEN

From skier to screenwriter, tenor to TV presenter, choose your favourite from these 50 testosterone-fuelled fellas

12 FRANK TO

Artist, 26
Glasgow

Unique selling point

The figurative painter is gaining quite a name for himself in contemporary art circles, with a celebrity following that includes Star Trek's Patrick Stewart - so that should ensure he lives long and prospers.

Fantasy Valentine

"It would have to be someone who could put up with my split personality. I can be very intense when I'm working - it's a 24/7 job and I can work some unholy hours. But when I stop, I have a real sense of humour. As for where we'd go on a Valentine's date, I'm quite a traditionalist so we'd probably just get a coffee somewhere quiet, so I could explore their mind and try to understand them."

Turn-on

Blue eyes and anyone who can keep him on his toes - he likes surprises.

Turn-off

Smoking and bad manners.

In another life...

He'd probably be a car designer. "On my course at Art College we studied vehicle design - one of the graduates designed a car that was used in the recent James Bond film."

For more information, please visit the official website of Frank To Fine Artist.

ART OF MAKING A LIVING by Colin Cardwell, The Herald 27/01/09

A good grounding in business can be an essential asset for emerging young artists, say Colin Cardwell

There are two distinct sets of figures that dominate artist Frank To's life- the tenebrous wraith- like bodies that inhabit his canvases and the ones that populate the bottom line of his business. He talks with almost as much energy about the need to weather the economic storm as he does about his painting.

The 26- year- old already has his work hanging in the private collection of actor Patrick Stewart, forever to be known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek fame, and beside the work of Andy Warhol and Picasso in New York.

Frank grew up in Glasgow and studied at St Ninian's High School where, he developed an interest in art in his teens ("I remember being impressed by Peter Howson's work on CD covers") he was also given lessons in sound business by his Hong Kong born mother, who is a self- employed caterer.

He had, he said decided to make fine art his career at an early stage and Huddersfield University was the only institution at the time that combined his twin interests of fine art and business.

After two years of a BA he took a year out to travel in Europe, which sparked an appreciation for Michelangelo, then took a work placement, returning to Glasgow and a studio in the Merchant City with the kind of serious drive that was beginning to distinguish him from the typical art student.

Unlike most of his contemporaries, he was applying to galleries which he continued to do during a further year studying for an MA in Fine Arts at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee. "It made economic sense; I have a place to work from, free internet access and I was thinking long term," he says.

In 2005, just before completing the Masters, Frank received an offer from the Fairfax Contemporary Art Gallery in London to show his work at the Affordable Art Fair, the showcase for contemporary art priced at under £3000.

"The gallery took all my Masters work," he says. By the end of the three days all but one painting has been sold." This, for a new artist who had never been heard of, was unusual. The gallery hadn't been sure how the audience would react to my work, "says Frank. "I think they were surprised."

He admits that he was surprised too. "But I was very pleased because not only did it allow me to start up in business as a self employed artist but importantly, it allowed my work to be seen by new, emerging and established galleries. Because it sold well, a lot of other galleries started taking notice and I began to get offers.

Wary of making too many commitments, he returned to Glasgow to set up his own studio space, currently at Wasps Artists' Studios in the city's east end- a charitable company that provides studios for more than 750 artists at 17 locations throughout Scotland.

This, unsurprisingly, was no mere chance either. Anticipating the competition for studios, he had begun to search in his second year at Huddersfield.

"By beginning at 20 I knew I was going through the waiting list while I was still studying. Luckily for me, it worked out quite well."

Start- up cash was needed and he contacted the Princes Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT) and Business Gateway. "I started taking commissions and making commitments, "he says. The first year was extremely difficult- probably he concedes, down to his taking on an overload of work, "But I had to get my name known on the art circuit, to get galleries to notice me."

He was also assiduous in keeping the galleries undated with his developments and raising his profile- which was given a boost when Patrick Stewart, who was chancellor of Huddersfield University, came to his BA degree show.

"We had a chat, then I had an email from him saying that he had enjoyed my work. I went to London to see him and he bought two of my paintings."

This engendered more interest among private collectors and his work was seen by Michel Witmer, an art historian and dealer who now has a Frank To in his New York collection, which includes a Picasso and Andy Warhol. "For me to be hung beside guys like that is something major," says Frank.

Influenced by the New Glasgow Boys, including Howson and Ken Currie, Frank describes his oil paintings as being on the boundaries of figurative and conceptual art. His smaller pieces sell for around £1700 and the largest for more than £5000 and the value of his work has, he says, increased significantly in the past three years.

In the meantime, he retains a connection with PSYBT: "I believe in the same things they do, in terms of motivating new business. I plan to be mentoring young artists, I've been asked to be on the committee and I'm always willing to help."

In five years, he says, the only certainty is that he will still be an artist, and still looking after business. "A lot of people think that there are no job prospects in fine art, but it is very much a real job. You have to keep certain hours, you have to do your book- keeping and make sure all your paints and materials are in stock. And in this the current economic climate, where people are in a state of fear, art can be both an inspiration and an investment.

For more information, please visit the official website of Frank To Fine Artist.