Frank To Fine Artist

REGIONAL NEWS by Drazen Jorgic, Citywire 25th November 2010

2010-12-10T16:55:00.000-08:00

by Drazen Jorgic

Around 70 Adam and Co clients spent an evening in London networking and viewing a series of exhibitions about bottle art, bespoke furniture and painting. Jeremy Vaughan, associate directors of Adam and Co, said the client event at its offices gave the wealth management firm an opportunity to better understand the needs and goals of its clients and solidify manager-client relations. As well as networking with Adam and Co's managers, Bottle Top- an environmental craft charity that aims to alleviate poverty- spoke to Adam and Co investors about its unusual work. Meanwhile Glaswegian figurative painter Frank To (pictured) was also on hand to discuss his work, along with furniture designer Tim Gosling.

FRANK PUTS ART IN SHOP WINDOW By Caroline Wilson, The Evening Times 15th June 2010

2010-07-28T05:37:00.000-07:00

By Caroline Wilson

A Glasgow-based artist hopes his unusual city centre exhibition will encourage people to invest in fine art.

Frank To, whose fans include Star Trek star Sir Patrick Stewart, is showing his latest works across the windows of a vacant shop as part of a major Glasgow City Council regeneration project.

The installation, on a three-storey building in St Vincent Street, is part of the £300,000 Style Mile initiative, which aims to help the city beat off competition from out-of-town shopping centres, attract tourists and fight the recession.

To's unique painting technique is earning him international recognition among art critics and high-profile collectors as a leading contemporary figurative painter.

The Falkirk-born painter hopes the shop project, which was backed by Braewell Galleries, will open up fine art to a wider audience and encourage more of the public to see art as a good investment.

He said: "Artists and galleries in Scotland are suffering due to people not buying art. It's not that people can't afford to. It's just that a majority are afraid to do so.

"As well as inspiring the general public with this kind of project, I'm hoping it will also encourage them to go to art galleries to view the actual work.

"With many investors reluctant to put their hard-earned savings into stocks and shares at present, fine art offers an attractive alternative asset. Depending on the artist, the value of art rarely falls over the medium to long term."

Born in 1982, To has exhibited alongside some of the greats of the international contemporary art scene, such as Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst.

His work has featured in several national art fairs and shows in Glasgow, London, Bath and Dundee and in various episodes of the STV detective drama Rebus.

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

CITY ART By Ruth Walker, Spectrum Magazine, Scotland on Sunday, 13th June 2010

2010-07-28T05:32:00.000-07:00

STREET ART

By Ruth Walker

NO- ONE likes to see empty shop units covered with flyers and graffiti. Which is why Glasgow City Council have commissioned a group of artists to decorate them instead. Artists featured in the past have included Peter Howson and Laetitia Guibaud, and this week Frank To will be joining the illustrious list. His distinctive work- collected by Star Trek legend and newly knighted Patrick Stewart- will be transferred on to large vinyl panels and fitted to the windows of 73 St Vincent Street. It's all part of the Glasgow Style Mile Regeneration project, collaboration between the council and Braewell Galleries. The properties are donated by the owners, which means the only cost is for the vinyl. To says: "Artists and galleries in Scotland are suffering due to people not buying art. It's not that people can't afford to. It's just that a majority are afraid to do so. As well as inspiring the general public with this kind of project, I'm hoping it will also encourage them to go to art galleries to view the actual work."

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

RECESSION- HIT SHOP GIVE EXHIBITON SPACE TO CITY'S ARTICTIC TALLENTS By Mark Smith, The Scotsman 3rd June 2010

2010-07-28T05:28:00.000-07:00

RECESSION- HIT SHOP GIVE EXHIBITON SPACE TO CITY'S ARTICTIC TALLENTS

By Mark Smith

THE blight of empty shops, with their soaped up windows and prominent To Let signs, has become a grim reminder of the recession in every city centre.

But now Scotland's biggest city has turned the growing number of empty shop fronts into an opportunity to promote talented young artists.

Glasgow is being transformed into an "open air art gallery" with vacant shop windows displaying artworks by up-and-coming painters alongside established figures such as Peter Howson.

The idea, inspired by artist Tracy Emin's takeover of a vacant shop during the early Nineties recession, is intended to cement the city's reputation as a hotbed of cultural activity.

Organisers also hope it will reduce the visual impact of the recession, encouraging shoppers to keep spending in those shops that survive the downturn.

One of the artists taking part, Frank To, will be displaying three pictures in an empty shop front in Glasgow's St Vincent Street, previously a food outlet.

Mr To, of Chinese origin but raised in Glasgow, said: "Every artist knows how difficult it can be to get work exhibited. Getting your stuff out there and seen is vital, it's the reason we do what we do.

"So having all these empty shops just sitting their doing nothing is frustrating for us. It's great to see something happening that allows us to use this empty space.

"Of course, if it can help improve the look and feel of the city, and encourage people to shop. It's quite depressing looking at rows and rows of empty shops. Hopefully we can brighten the city up a bit."

Jane Harrison, Glasgow's City Centre Initiatives Manager, said: "Vacant shop units are a magnet for fly posting and graffiti artists and this imaginative project keeps these empty units in the city centre looking presentable while prospective tenants are sought. It also allows dramatic artworks by Glasgow artists to be enjoyed by shoppers and visitors."

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

NEWTON MEARNS ARTIST WILL SHINE AT GLASGOW ART FAIR BY KAYLEIGH MCLEOD By Kayleigh McLeod, EASTWOOD TODAY March 25th 2010

2010-04-18T02:41:00.000-07:00

EAST Renfrewshire's art protégé Frank To will showcase his latest work at the internationally acclaimed Glasgow Art Fair.

The thought- provoking pieces of the Newton Mearns based artist will be available to buy at this weekend's exhibition.

Frank's most recent paintings depict psychoanalysis of professional football players.

The show, now in its 15th year, begins today (March 25) and will run until Sunday, March 28 at George Square.

The all day art fair is open from 10:30am until 6:30pm each day and until 8pm tonight.

The Glasgow Art Fair presents over 50 selected galleries and arts organisations from across Scotland, the UK and overseas to offer visitors a wide range of contemporary art, available to buy under one roof.

Marketed as the place to buy, sell and view art outside of London, the weekend fair is not to be missed.

To purchase tickets visit www.glasgowartfair.com where you can obtain a four day unlimited access ticket for just £12.

Tickets can also be purchased on the door £7/£5 and children under the age of ten go free.

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

GALLERY'S TRIUMPHANT DEBUT AT FAIR By Joy Watters. THE DUNDEE COURIER April 1st 2010

2010-04-18T02:37:00.000-07:00

DUNDEE'S QUEEN'S Gallery has returned triumphant from its debut at the Glasgow Art Fair, writes Joy Watters, arts reporter.

The country's most prestigious contemporary art fair outside London attracts a vast range of buyers and the Queens contribution did much to fly the flag for Dundee and the east coast with several ofthe featured artists either resident or having trained in the city.

Gallery owner Joyce McGlone said they had had their appetites whetted by art fairs before but this was their first time in Glasgow and they were delighted to have sold so much.

This year 46 selected galleries from Scotland, the UK, Europe and beyond showed work for sale by 1000 artists, emerging talent to well- established. Now in its 15th year, the fair is in the heart of the city housed in white tented pavilions in George Square.

One of the first sales for the Queens was a work by renowned painter Jack Knox, who after studying at Glasgow School of Art and Paris came to teach at Duncan of Jordanstone in 1965.

The work of Frank To also proved popular after training at Huddersfield he took a Masters at Duncan of Jordanstone. Strongly influenced by the Old Masters, is approach to painting involves careful preparation of the canvas and he won the Deloitte Prize at the SSA exhibition in Dundee last year.

Catriona Miller has become one of the country's most prominent and original iconic painters and provoked a lot of interest at the Queens stand. She is now collected worldwide and since her sell- out degree show in 2005 at Gray's Aberdeen has become a favourite with the contemporary art buying public.

"It was gratifying that the work was so well received. A lot of people are now using the Scottish Art Council's Own Art scheme for purchasing work which offers interest- free credit up to £2000," said Joyce.

Anyone wanting to see the sort of work that took the buyers' fancy can visit the Queens Gallery in the Nethergate where on show is Paul Telford in a mixed exhibition. It runs until April 17.

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

WELCOME TO MY WORLD by Ruth Walker, SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY March 21st 2010

2010-04-18T02:31:00.000-07:00

Interview by Ruth Walker

Photograph by Robert Perry

YOUNG Scottish figurative artist Frank To has exhibited alongside the likes of Damien Hirst and Peter Howson, and has a number of high-profile collectors, including Star Trek legend Patrick Stewart.

He will be taking part in Glasgow Art Fair Thursday to next Sunday, with a series of work based on the psychoanalysis of football culture. To find out more, see www.franktofineart.com.

Describe your perfect weekend

Playing poker with some friends - I like being manipulative and devious. Or maybe a saki night, but not the two together: when I'm playing poker I'm in to win.

What would you do if you ruled the world?

Install some kind of grant system for graduates of art and design courses because I don't think there's enough support for them out there to make it out on their own; they're just left to their own devices and I know how difficult it can be.

What one thing would improve your life?

If I took care of myself a bit better, because I have a habit of working myself into the ground. Sometimes I feel ill because of it, and my caffeine levels are sky-high. Recently I worked three days straight.

Who did you last receive a text from and what did it say?

I just received a text from my best friend Tony O'Reilly saying: "Arrogance has to be earned, what have you done to earn yours, Frank?" I think it was because in our last poker game I was quite arrogant.

What's your guiltiest pleasure?

Alcoholic ice-cream. The first time I tried it was in the States and it was absolutely delicious - but it was only when I started to feel a bit happy that I realised there was Scotch in it.

When did you last feel sorry for yourself?

When I crashed my car. It was very icy, and I drove into a bollard, then a red Rover crashed into me.

What do you wish you'd never done?

Accidentally destroyed a rival's work at art school. The caretakers were clearing up and everyone had their work for the degree show in there. I used to come in quite smart-looking anyway, and I looked like a lecturer that day - the caretaker asked if I was in charge so I jokingly said yes. Then they asked if I wanted all the rubbish cleared out of the corridor, so I said, "Yes, go ahead." I didn't realise my rival's paintings were drying out there. He hasn't found out so far...

Would your mother be proud of you?

Yes, but she worries that I work too hard. She thinks I make myself quite ill.

Who would you like to say sorry to?

My ex-girlfriend. She didn't always see the best side of me and it's only recently that I've realised she was trying to make me a better person.

Who does the cleaning in your house?

That would be me - I'm an absolute clean freak.

What's the most you've ever spent on a purchase, apart from a car or property?

Probably my first trip to New York on my own. I was going to make contacts back in 2007, but it was money well spent because that's when I met my New York art dealer, who now has my work hung beside a Picasso and a Warhol.

What is your earliest memory?

My mum drawing Mickey Mouse on a chalk board back in the 1980s. I must have been about two or three. I think it was that which probably made me want to become an artist.

What song is the theme tune to your life?

Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes.

Who would play you in the movie of your life?

Edward Norton, because he has that geeky look, but he can also portray the tough guy.

Should you vote? If yes, how did you vote?

I voted for the SNP because they abolished the parking fees in hospitals. I had to drive my brother to hospital when he was dying of cancer and there were times I was cracking up about it.

What worries you in the wee small hours?

My next deadline.

When were you last naked in front of another person?

That would be my ex.

Who was your favourite teacher and why?

Simon Burton - my lecturer in Yorkshire. He saw me as someone who had potential, and encouraged me to be what I am today, which is an emotional painter.

Who is your fantasy date?

It would be someone who can outwit me, but also someone who can understand my persona. I can be fun, quirky, a bit sarky, but when I'm working I can be more serious and a bit like Batman - I have a dark side, but I only show it through my work.

What is your most treasured possession?

A piece of artwork given to me by a lecturer at Duncan of Jordanstone, Harvey Duke. It was a large mono print, and he gave it to me on the basis that we had a shared friendship and similar views on art in general. I think he saw a younger side of himself in me.

What do you remember better, your first car or first kiss?

My first kiss - because she bit me. She actually drew blood!

What has been your greatest achievement?

Doing what I'm doing and not failing financially. That's the best thing I can hope for.

How old are you?

27

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

ME AND MY... MENTOR by Marianne Halavage, THE SUNDAY HERALD March 7th 2010

2010-04-18T02:27:00.000-07:00

Interviews by Marianne Halavage

Photograph by Gordon Terris

How a promising young artist found friendship- and discovered the patience he needed to realise his talent

FRANK TO, 27, ARTIST

I paint fine art, both figurative and abstract. But I prefer abstract for being able to portray myself- and my dark side. I have this dual "nice guy, dark guy" persona, a bit like Bruce Wayne, who turns into Batman. But, like Bruce Wayne, I keep my dark side close and channel it in my work.

At secondary school, I realised I had a bit of a talent for art but that's not why I produced it. I was this skinny, geeky teenager and I figured the only way I could attract girls was to do portraits of them. Did it work? Did it heck. They thought I was a Van Gogh- type weirdo. Actually, I tried to ignore my talent. But at every step- standard grade art, higher art, art school, my career as an artist- I was drawn to it and chose it at the last minute. So now I say, "I didn't choose art. It chose me."

In 2004 I did a masters in Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone Art College in Dundee and was taught by Philip Braham. I remember back then, going to the opening of his show at the Scottish Gallery, seeing his work and thinking, "I want to be that good". Now even though I've graduated and I'm a "minor celebrity" in the art world, I still consider Philip as the master and me as the apprentice.

Philip has a great technique, but he also has a great mind for painting. In 2004, I was a very irrational and impatient painter. Phil infused me with patience and rationality. He used to say to me, "Those oil paints don't control you, you control them."

My most famous buyer is the actor Patrick Stewart, who is also the chancellor of Huddersfield University where I studied fine art. I met him before my degree show, and a year later I received an email from him. At first I thought someone was playing a hoax. He bought some of my stuff and we've been friends ever since. When Patrick acts, he portrays his own voice. When I paint, I portray my own voice, and people recognise my work as Frank To's, no one else's.

www.franktofineart.com

PHILIP BRAHAM, 50, ARTIST

Frank's enthusiasm, determination and personal vitality come through in his brush work. He's a very good painter, as well as very good publicising his work. Some of the most talented students disappear after college, but Frank has the confidence to get his name out there.

I suppose when I was starting out I also had that boldness. In 1985, a friend and I held a protest outside the RSA because the Edinburgh Festival was not showing contemporary Scottish art. Our protest led to a blockbuster exhibition at the 1987 festival. That exhibition not only made my name as an artist.

My gift for art was obvious from a young age. At five, when other children were drawing stick figures, I was drawing solid volumes and trying to shade them in. In 1980, I won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Fine Art in The Hague. There, I was inspired by Piet Mondrian's early work on landscapes.

Now, I try to represent a landscape as precisely as I can, while giving a flavour of the events in history that took place there. One landscape might take six months.

I began teaching 10 years ago, and though it slows down the number of paintings I can produce, the quality of my work benefits from my tutoring. Sometimes, I can even hear my own voice as tutor over my shoulder.

I have many big- name collectors but I don't like to say who. The work shouldn't need the nod from a celebrity. But Frank is at a different stage in his career and it's part of his marketing strategy, so I won't be too critical. Frank is in the phase where he must work hard at doing and publicising his art. But, in five years, when he is able to relax, his celebrity buyers won't be the first thing he is proud of.

www.philipbraham.com

Frank To is exhibiting at the Glasgow Art Fair. March 25- 28 (www.glasgowartfair.com)

Interviews by Marianne Halavage

Photograph by Gordon Terris

TO BOLDLY GOES AHEAD WITH PATRICK STEWART SHOW By Hazel Mollison, Welcome to Frank To Fine Art THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS February 5th 2010

2010-04-18T02:23:00.000-07:00

AN artist who last year produced a striking image of Patrick Stewart as a Roman emperor is exhibiting his work in the Capital.

Frank To wowed fans with his take on the former Star Trek captain, who gave the artwork his seal of approval.

The actor became friends with the young artist when Mr To was a student and he was chancellor of Huddersfield University.

To is now showing a selection of his latest work at the renowned Hawke & Hunter, returning to abstraction for the first time in five years.

He said: "Although I do have a growing reputation as a contemporary figurative painter, I was trained in abstract during my time in art school. It's through my abstract paintings that I can feel more at ease being very emotionally involved in my use of paint."

He will show alongside artists Ryan Mutter, Joe O'Brien, Joe Hendry and Elena Kourenkova, as part of the Hawke & Hunter spring exhibition show, which is open now until 28 February.

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

TO BOLDLY GOES WHERE FEW ARTISTS HAVE GONE BEFORE By Rosemary Gallagher, SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY January 17th 2010

2010-04-18T02:15:00.000-07:00

ACCLAIMED Glasgow artist Frank To - who counts Sir Patrick Stewart of Star Trek fame among his collectors - has continued to profit in the recession by promoting his work while many of his peers retreated.

The 27-year-old said he realised at an early stage he had to focus on marketing as well as developing as an artist. He established his business in 2006 with his own money and support from Business Gateway, the Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust and Royal Bank of Scotland.

In 2007 to 2008, To made a profit of about £24,000, up from £10,000 the previous year.

He said: "The main reason for the dramatic increase in profits was that I was beginning to achieve a respectable reputation as a young Scottish art graduate gaining a celebrity following. Despite the success I had in 2007-08, I knew the UK would eventually follow suit with America's downturn."

To prepare for the recession, he started budgeting and splitting his finances to concentrate on certain parts of his business, such as marketing.

All creative arts have been hit by the downturn and To's business has not been unscathed. Profits fell to about £10,000 in 2008/9, but he said they are set to rise to at least £18,000 this year.

He has gained corporate business, partly on the back of winning the award of most promising emerging Scottish artist last year from accountancy and consulting firm Deloitte & Touche.

To's work is included in the New Faces Revisited exhibition which opened this weekend at Leith Gallery in Edinburgh.

He is also part of the spring exhibition opening next month at Edinburgh bar, restaurant and hotel Hawke & Hunter.

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

ARTS FOR ARTS SAKE By David Oliver, THE EXTRA December 3rd 2009

2010-04-18T02:11:00.001-07:00

Think of December days out in the city centre and usually two things spring to mind- Christmas shopping or pantomimes.

Obviously there's also ice skating in George Square now, or winter walks through the city's many parks or a saunter along the Christmas market in Argyle Street.

But there's an alternative to the chilly outdoors or the raucous hilarity of festive theatre- fare.

It is an altogether more cultured, if potentially, more expensive, way to pass the time.

This week there are several high- profile art exhibitions going on across Glasgow. The Roger Billcliffe Gallery, in Blythswood Street is one, displaying its Christmas exhibition.

Among those featured will be local boy Frank To (26) showing some of his latest work including Susanoo, Ascend and Gentlemen's Conduct.

The Huddersfield- trained artist told Live!: "I'll be the youngest exhibitor there. I am delighted to be part of the exhibition. Usually you apply to the Billcliffe, but I was asked. It's a huge honour for me.

"I have five pieces on show, and I'm pleased I have the opportunity to show some of my abstract paintings- since graduating I've been focused on figurative work, but I have included some abstract as that's how I was trained.

"They'll be hanging alongside some big names and really great artists. The Billcliffe has a really high reputation among galleries and is highly regarded as one of the best outside London."

But Frank's fine art and the Billcliffe exhibition isn't the only on display this month.

Over the weekend rare watercolours by cartoonists Jimmy Turnball will be displayed at Eastwood House, while another cartoonist, Frank Boyle is exhibiting football cartoons.

Among them are wry looks at the Scottish national team's fortunes, so they're aptly hung in the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden.

And still on a sporting yet artistic note, Michael Vaughan OBE- former England cricket captain- will also have his work on show from Saturday in the Castle Galleries within Princes Square.

* Billcliffe Gallery Christmas exhibition until Dec 22, 134 Blythswood Street. Entry free.
* Football cartoons at Scottish Football Museum, Hampden until Jan 21. Entry free with museum entry £6/£3.
* From Crease to Canvas until Dec 20 Catle Galleries, Princes Square, Buchanan Street. Entry Free.

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

FRANK'S NEW SHOW By Roy Beers, EASTWOOD TODAY November 26th 2009

2010-04-18T02:06:00.000-07:00

HIGHLY- rated Newton Mearns artist Frank To is set to exhibit a selection of his latest work at the Billcliffe Gallery in Glasgow.

Frank's unique painting technique is garnering him international recognition as a leading contemporary figurative painter amongst art critics and high profile collectors alike, including actor Patrick Stewart (of Star Trek fame) and New York- based Michel Witmer, who hangs To's paintings alongside those of Picasso, Dine and Warhol.

In a shared show with some of Scotland's most promising emerging artists, To will exhibit three pieces at the Billcliffe Gallery.

To said: "I'm delighted to be one of the very few invited to do this exhibition. I hope this show will be the one of many that contributes the importance and reputation of Scottish painting especially in this Recession."

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

THE EXTRA NEWS By David Oliver, THE EXTRA November 26th 2009

2010-04-18T02:01:00.000-07:00

Mearns artist Frank To is part of the Billcliffe Gallery's annual pre- Christmas exhibition. From tomorrow, To's work will be on show in showroom,s in Blythswood Street.

In a shared show with some of Scotland's most promising emerging artists running from until December 22, To will exhibit three pieces- Ascend, Gentlemen's Conduct and Susanoo.

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

GO TO FRANK TO FOR NEW PAINTINGS, THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS November 18th 2009

2010-04-16T04:21:00.000-07:00

ONE of Scotland's newest young fine artists, Frank To, is to exhibit a selection of his work at the Edinburgh Art Fair 2009.

Mr To's unique painting technique has won him international recognition. The fair is at the Corn Exchange from Friday to Sunday.

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

ART INSPIRED BY MAJOR WORLD NEWS By Simon Morkis, THE DUNDEE COURIER 8th October 2009

2010-04-16T04:17:00.000-07:00

THE DEATH of Michael Jackson, swine flu and the global recession have provided the inspiration for the latest exhibition by Dundee- trained artist Frank To at the city's Queen's Gallery.

Frank completed his masters at Duncan of Jordanstone in 2005 after graduating from Huddersfield.

Current affairs have inspired the Falkirk- born artist's latest paintings.

He said, "The common underlying theme behind these recent paintings is an exploration of the impact that global events, such as the recession and the swine flu epidemic, have on all our lives, as well as placing such events and instances in an historical context."

Gallery director Joyce McGlone said, "Frank's striking figurative images have featured in several of our mixed shows, leading to our featuring a larger body of his work in a successful exhibition last year."

Frank will exhibit as part of The Queen's Gallery's Insights exhibition until October 17.

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

ARTIST FINALLY HONOURED IN OWN COUNTRY by Mark Smith, SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY October 4th 2009

2010-04-16T04:10:00.000-07:00

HE IS the rising star of Scottish art with paintings that now sell for up to £10,000 each.

But Frank To has revealed for the first time how racism and bullying took him to the brink of suicide and rejection by the country's most prestigious art college forced him to leave his native country.

Grangemouth-born To was turned down for a place at Glasgow School of Art when he was a teenager.

This weekend, the 26-year-old artist was back in Glasgow to give his first public demonstration of the techniques that are making his reputation.

He said: "I love Scotland and am proud to be called a Scottish artist. But sometimes you have to leave Scotland before you can get a chance.

"I know that I had to leave Scotland or I would have really struggled.

"I've never talked about this before, but I was rejected by the Glasgow School of Art when I was younger.

"That was very upsetting at the time, and I doubted whether I was up to the job. I'm just a wee lad from Grangemouth, and sometimes you think you are out of your depth in the art world. When Glasgow knocked me back I was pretty gutted."

The Scots-Chinese artist left Scotland and took a place studying art in Huddersfield, in Yorkshire. His painting style involves teasing human forms out of blobs of paint on the canvas, using unusual tools such as toothbrushes.

To said his early life was also scarred by constant bullying at a new school in Glasgow, where he moved with his mother, Winnie, after his parents divorced.

"Life at school was terrible," he said. "I had an artistic outlook, and that didn't go down well at school. I was already badly shaken by my parents' divorce, then the move to Glasgow was also a big change.

"I was badly bullied. Sometimes it was racist because of my Chinese background. Most of the time it was just because I was different. It got so bad that I considered suicide. But painting helped me cope."

It was during his degree show at Huddersfield that To's work first came to prominence. The university's chancellor at the time was the actor Patrick Stewart, famous as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek films but also hailed as one of the country's finest stage actors. Stewart is now his biggest fan, championing his work around the globe.

To said: "Having somebody like Patrick behind me is a great thing. He not only backs me as an artist, he's also been mentoring me on how to present myself, how to be more confident."

Stewart said: "I think he's very gifted, and I'm delighted he's beginning to get an international audience. He's adventurous and bold, and not afraid of a big canvas."

Peter McGlone, owner of The Queen's Gallery in Dundee, described To as "one of the next big things."

He said: "Frank already has an international following, and his paintings are selling quickly in London and New York. Prices are soaring, and will continue to do so."

This year, To has become one of the youngest painters ever to have his work exhibited at the Albemarle Gallery in London, one of the art world's most prestigious venues. He is also being represented by the New York art dealer, Michel Witmer.

To has now returned to Scotland to live and is at last receiving praise for his work in his home country.

He said: "I don't feel bitter that I was rejected by Glasgow. I like to think I'm too mature to stick two fingers up to them and say, here I am, I've made it."

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

OPEN DOORS AT TOP ARTIST'S CITY BASE

2010-04-16T04:08:00.000-07:00

FAST- RISING art star, Glasgow- based Frank To, will reveal the secret of his success this weekend as part of WASPS Artists' Open Studios Weekend.

The 26- year- old is among dozens of exciting young painters and sculptors whose work will feature in the event at the Dennistoun venue over Saturday and Sunday.

Last year the studio's open weekend, in the East End's Hanson Street, saw around 4500 visits and generated £35,000 in sales and commissions across Scotland.

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

TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK by Mark Smith, THE GLASWEGIAN October 1st 2009

2010-04-16T04:04:00.000-07:00

A YOUNG Glasgow artist is set to reveal the tricks of his trade at an arts event this weekend.

Frank To's unique painting technique has won him praise among art critics and high- profile collectors alike.

His work has been hailed by Star Trek star Patrick Stewart, who has bought of his paintings.

Other examples have featured in STV's detective drama, Rebus.

But Frank struggle for recognition in his early professional years.

Now he is offering art lovers a rare opportunity to see for themselves how he creates his work by inviting them to this year's WASPS Open Studio Event in the city's Hanson Street.

Frank said: "My painting technique is inspired by a story attributed to the Renaissance sculptor, Michelangelo. It was said he could visualise the human form within a block of marble.

"In the same way, I tease out figures from initially abstract images. I'll be demonstrating in detail how my paintings are created for the first time at the forthcoming open studio event."

Opening times for the event are Saturday 11am to 5pm and Sunday 12pm to 5pm

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

KINGS AND QUEENS by Leah Parker, Home Plus Scotland Magazine Sept - Oct 2009

2009-09-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

Throughout autumn Home Plus Scotland favourite, Frank To will be exhibiting his latest work in the upcoming show Insights at the Queens's Gallery in Dundee's west end.

Frank is a young Glasgow born artist whose unique painting technique is garnering him international recognition as a leading contemporary figurative painter amongst art critics and high profile collectors alike. In a shared show with established artist Angus McEwan and Duncan of Jordanstone graduate Peter Mansfield, Frank will be exhibiting ten pieces at the Queen's Gallery.

The exhibition runs from 26th September- 17th October 2009.

The Queen's Gallery, 160 Nethergate, Dundee DD1 4DU.

Tel: 01382 220600

www.queensgallery.co.uk

www.franktofineart.com

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

ARTIST FRANK MAKES A ROYAL APPOINTMENT by David Oliver, The Extra, 15/07/09

2009-07-24T02:15:00.000-07:00

NEWTON Mearns painter Frank To had a brush with royalty recently.

The Duke of Rothesay, Prince Charles, visited the artist and spent time discussing and admiring his work.

Frank told The Extra: "He's also a keen art lover and amateur artist. He took a great interest in my art and achievements- I've also been invited to this year's Royal Garden Party at Holyrood."

To has also just won an award with Deloitte and Touche LLP for outstanding achievement for an young upcoming Scottish artist and for his painting Yggdrasill which was exhibited in Dundee.

Rick Ballard, SSA committee member and partner at Deloitte in Scotland, said: "Deloitte is very pleased to award Frank the recognition he deserves for his artistic flair and talent. The Yggdrasill piece is very unusual and I look forward to seeing more of Frank's work in the future."

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

VISUAL ARTS REVIEW: SPIRIT OF ARTISTIC ADVENTURE by Susan Mansfield, The Scotsman 09/06/09

2009-07-23T05:14:00.000-07:00

SOCIETY OF SCOTTISH ARTISTS ANNUAL EXHIBITION ****

VISION BUILDING, SEABRAES, DUNDEE

THE Society of Scottish Artists was the first organisation to show the paintings of Edvard Munch in the UK. The exhibition of the Norwegian expressionist, in Edinburgh in 1931, sparked a storm in the letters page of this newspaper. No stranger to controversy, the SSA also brought Matisse and Picasso here, determined to inspire home-grown artists with the best work from the continent.

In these days of the Internet and cheap travel, there is less need for that, but the pioneering spirit of the SSA continues in its readiness to support the work of emerging artists, and to embrace those working in a wide range of media.

This year, the three artists' organisations which normally show in the RSA building in spring have had to find new spaces. The SSA, sharing the Vision Building in Dundee with Duncan of Jordanstone's very successful degree show, is much better served where it is. Creating enough space for works hung on walls has been a challenge, but the sculptures have room to breathe, as do the viewers - with 250 works on show, you might need it.

Works by invited artists such as Will Maclean, Marian Leven and the late John Houston help raise the game. Barbara Rae, a former SSA president, shows a large painting titled Urban Decay in which her typical vigorous colours swirl like graffiti against abstracted tower blocks. Expanding Forms No 1 (Lemon), one of several works from the estate of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, is an elegant exploration of pure colour and form.

Calum Colvin shows two portraits of Byron, each reflected in a cube of mirrors mounted between them, for this is a man whose image comes down to us through a glass darkly, muddied by his work and the legend that grew around him. Meanwhile, Dundee-based Dalziel + Scullion show two sculptures of tree trunks, a three-dimensional expression of their digital prints of tree bark, and part of their ongoing vivid depiction of the natural world.

There is evidence of thoughtful hanging: Maclean's Portrait of a Polymath vitrines, combining natural and mathematical images, harmonise with Gayle Nelson's Glass-bottom boat, in which images of water and marine creatures are printed on perspex ovals, which in turn speaks gently to Liz Douglas's Ettrick series: Moth Light.

Meanwhile, there is an attempt to capture the collaborative spirit of the SSA in Juteopolis, which features 120 small wooden cubes around which different artists have created work responding to the city of Dundee. They are installed in rows like the cobbles in the "lade" of a jute mill (though Peter Russell's Dundee skyscraper towers eight-fold above the rest).

It is a generous, cheerful project in which the most famous aspects of the city are represented, from jute and newspapers to Keiller's marmalade, from William McGonagall to Dennis the Menace.

The long windows of the Vision Building look out towards the Tay, and - deliberately or not - there are various works here which play on a nautical theme.

Seascapes are ubiquitous: Will Maclean's work always has a whiff of the sea about it, Ian Finan shows a delightful pod of beluga whales mounted on canvas - each with a different expression - and Kenny Munro has made a giant limpet.

Catriona Taylor's model of a steamship, covered by extracts from the letters of those who left Scotland in the Clearances, is a reminder that not every passage is an easy one, and water is also a dominant image in Richard Ashrowan's Lament, surprisingly, the only video work in the show.

If the more experimental installation and electronic work is absent this year, it is compensated for by a strong and interesting sculptural component. Linda Masson's A Complex Being succinctly captures the way in which we show a different face to everyone we meet. Stephen Paterson's St Anthony (after Tony Morrow) is a striking bronze head, a modern twist on a traditional style. Charmian Pollok's Ghost Croft series use found objects and wire to create evocative assemblages. Helen Denerley delights, as she always does, with a crocodile and an amur leopard made from recycled metals.

Another guest artist, Philip Reeves, leads a strong abstract contingent, closely followed by the contrasting works of Christopher Wood and Richard Strachan. 27-year-old Frank To, who is making his name as a figurative painter, takes the opportunity to return to abstraction for the first time in four years with the engaging Yggdrasil, which scooped the Deloitte LLP prize.

Other highlights include a drawing by Joyce Gunn Cairns, a magical group of works by Nan Mulder, photographs by Norman McBeath, two engaging oils by Leo du Feu; vigorous drawings by Kate Downie, and the beautiful words-and-images prints of Brigid Collins. David Faithfull's prints, Bear Market/Bull Market and Bull Market/Bear Market sum up the economic situation, surely as tough on artists as on anyone else.

Humour is welcome in these difficult times, and there is an abundance of that too. Anton Beaver's A Box of Spuds is exactly what it says it is. His clever little mirror piece is cheekily titled Man's Rays. Margaret Bathgate's photographs follow her knitting on adventures through Fife. Tim Taylor has made a totem pole out of lampshades. Gemma Coyle's caravans made of biro pens, spinning slowly on their plinths, are bettered only by her scale model of the Chrysler building, pulled by horses through a desert on the floor.

The impulse which once brought Munch and Matisse to Scotland continues through the SSA's commitment to exhibiting the work of young artists picked from last year's degree shows. Georgina Porteous and Mark Creaney, both from Moray School of Art, work with medical images: Creaney with syringes (that contradictory implement of both addiction and medicine) and Porteous making a disturbing "chandelier" from gynaecological instruments.

Tielia Dellanzo's black ribbon printed with the words "Edge of Belonging", hangs from the ceiling, pooling on the floor.

Rowan Corkhill, whose work stood out at the Duncan of Jordanstone degree show last year, continues to use old found photographs, mounting them on light boxes so that light glows from pin-pricks. The rows of young cadets and ladies at a WI-style luncheon appear at the same time more ghostly and more alive.

Until 19 June.

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

PSYBT HOSTS ROYAL VISIT BY PRINCE CHARLES IN SUPPORT OF ASIAN BUSINESS COMMUNITY by By Raj Lalli Gill, The Awaz 05/06/09

2009-07-23T05:08:00.000-07:00

HRH Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, dropped by The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust offices on the 2nd of this month to host a special event for the Asian business community in Scotland.

HRH met with senior representatives from his Charities PSYBT, the Prince's Trust Scotland (PTS), and Scottish Business in the Community as well as members of Scotland's Asian business community to hear about their experiences of running successful businesses in Scotland.

Entrepreneur Charan Gill, owner of Harlequin in Glasgow; Saftar Sarwar executive of Barclays Wealth; Dr Rabinder Buttar, CEO of ClinTec International Group in Glasgow; and Asian representatives from Ethnic Minority Glasgow, Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and Strathclyde Police were amongst those who were introduced to HRH during the one and a half hour long visit.

HRH spent time talking with several young people from a variety of PTS Programmes and PSYBT supported businesses. They shared their experiences of what it is to be a young Asian and talk on issues, such as support networks, barriers to enterprise, employment and opportunities.

One young man in particular artist Frank To, caught the Prince's eye as Frank had brought a few of his paintings which were on display.

The Prince spent five minutes with Frank discussing his art, he even gave Frank some advice, "avoid the elephant trap," were the Prince's words of wisdom.

Many an artist has gone down the path of ruin, due to drink or drugs.

In the creative world it is easily done.

No fear here, Frank is five steps ahead of his peers.

He has even secured Patrick Stewart- Star Trek actor- as one of his most prized clients.

Patrick has five of Frank's paintings in his collections which he displays in his various homes around the world.

Frank first came to Patrick's attention, when Frank was studying for his undergraduate degree at the University of Huddersfield, Stewart was the University's chancellor.

He enjoyed Frank's work so much that he put his hand in his pocket and dug deep, purchasing five of the young artist's works, which no doubt will double or triple in value in coming years.

Like Frank says, "In the current climate there's no point of investing in the usual stalwarts, such as property or stocks it's too much of a risk, these days your money is a lot safer if you invest in a good piece of art."

Frank approached PSYBT because he wanted to put his years of training to the test.

"I asked myself what would be the point of all that studying if I wasn't going to give it a go and become a full time painter."

Tipped for the top in the lifestyle magazine, Homes and Interiors Scotland- which recently selected its top five art graduates in Scotland- Frank is now hopeful that, with London now taking notice, so might New York.

Explaining the purpose of the Prince's visit, Mark Strudwick, PSYBT chief executive said, "One of the key objectives for hosting this meeting with the Asian business community in Scotland is to identify what more can be done, both individually and collectively by the Prince's Charities in Scotland to support young people, particularly those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, to improve their employment and business opportunities.

"By involving a wide cross- section of the Asian business community in Scotland, we hope to identify the key challenges, increase potential for support and mentoring and broaden everyone's knowledge about the wider issues and generate ideas that will address them."

As Scotland's leading enterprising youth charity, PSYBT is committed to addressing barriers to employment for young people and ethnic minorities in Scotland.

In 2006 PSYBT supported the first Young Scotland Muslim Conference to be hosted in this country and sponsored an Asian Business Awards in 2008.

While the number of ethnic minorities working and living in Scotland is significantly lower than in many parts of England [2% in the last Census conducted in 2001 as compared to 8%? In England]. The Asian Business Community has a sound base and strong aspirations in Scotland.

Approximately 8% of PSYBT- supported businesses are from ethnic minorities, which reflects the size of the ethnic minority population in the UK, and the success of PSYBT's outreach programme.

This year commemorates the twentieth anniversary of PSYBT.

Since it was formally constituted in 1989, PSYBT has supported some 11,000 individuals to start almost 9000 businesses and provided £31.7 million in funding alongside a whole package of other assistance tailored to the needs of each individual.

Last year PSYBT invested £2 million in 665 young people involved in 559 businesses and the average PSYBT investment per business during financial year 2007/08 was £3203.

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

His Royal Highness Prince Charles Meets Frank To Fine Artist 02/06/09

2009-06-06T01:17:00.000-07:00

In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of P.S.Y.B.T, Prince Charles met Frank To Fine Artist on Tuesday 2nd June 2009 alongside several young successful Scottish entrepreneurs.

The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust leads Scotland in the promotion and support of self-employment and business creation amongst young people, thus contributing to the economic development and community regeneration of the country's regions in line with the policy of the Scottish Executive.

HONOUR FOR TOP YOUNG ARTIST By April Mitchinson, The Courier 23/05/09

2009-06-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

ACCLAIMED DUNDEE artist Frank To was presented with an outstanding young artist award when he returned to the city last night to help launch two different exhibitions that both feature his work.

Mr. To, who graduated from Huddersfield University with a degree in fine art before completing his Masters at Duncan of Jordanstone in 2005, is showing at the Queens Gallery and The Vision Building.

He was presented with the award by the president of the Society of Scottish Artists during the annual contemporary art exhibition show at the Vision Building.

Mr. To said he was "overwhelmed" with the honour and added, "I was taught by some of the best artists in the world when I studied here in Dundee and I feel like the boy come good- coming home to where my creativity was harnessed and developed."

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

PORTRAIT BY FRANK TO by Simon Morkis, The Courier 20/05/09

2009-06-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

AN ARTIST trained at Duncan of Jordanstone in Dundee will return to the city on Friday night, when his work is displayed in two exhibitions opening on the same night.

After graduating from Huddersfield University with a degree in fine art, Frank To completed his masters at the Dundee Art College in 2005.

Now based in Glasgow, his work will feature in exhibitions opening in the Queen's Gallery and The Vision Building.

The first of these, celebrating a decade of the Queen's Gallery, will include a portrait of Star Trek and Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart that has been approved by the actor.

The Society of Scottish Artists opens its annual contemporary art exhibition in the Vision Building and will include a six- foot by six- foot canvas by the artist.

Frank To's work will also be familiar to viewers on the television series Rebus.

Adapted from Ian Rankin's detective novels, the series featured several of To's paintings.

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

STAR TREKS TO EXHIBITION by Victoria Davidson, THE BIG ISSUE 23/04/09

2009-05-31T04:29:00.000-07:00

Picard actor Stewart boldly goes to Leith gallery

Intergalactic seals of approval don't come much higher- ranking than Starship Enterprise Captain Jean Luc Picard. But young Scots artist Frank To's pal, actor Patrick Stewart, dropped in to his current exhibition at Edinburgh's Leith Gallery while in Scotland starring in Beckett's Waiting For Godot.

Stewart has been a fan of To's work since he saw his degree show, and has five of his paintings in his private collection, including a portrait of himself. Stewart said: "I like Frank's work for its thoughtfulness, intensity, use of colour and mature technique." The exhibition runs till April 25

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

PICARD MAKES TREK TO LEITH By David Oliver, THE EXTRA 23/04/09

2009-05-31T04:24:00.000-07:00

NEWTON Mearns artist Frank To finally met up with his most famous celebrity fan this week.

The painter's current Edinburgh exhibtion, at the Leith Gallery was visited by actor Patrick Stewart, famed for playing Captain Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek the Next Generation.

The actor was in town performing alongside Ian McKellen in Waiting For Godot and took time out from rehearsals to view more of the southsider's work. He has bough To's work before and considers himself a fan.

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

TO BOLDLY GO TO FRANK'S DISPLAY By Peter Carroll, The Glaswegian 22/04/09

2009-05-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

GLASGOW-BASED artist Frank To reached the final frontier when he welcomed an other worldly guest to his latest exhibition - Star Trek legend Patrick Stewart.

Frank, from Newton Mearns, welcomed the sci-fi icon to his latest exhibition held at The Leith Gallery, Edinburgh, this month.

But don't think the 27-year-old artist, who is based at the WASPS artist studios in Dennistoun, has nothing more to do than KLINGON to his famous guests.

Frank and Patrick, who is currently treading the capital boards in Samuel Beckett's play, 'Waiting For Godot', go back light years. Well, more than five years actually.

Frank told The Glaswegian: "I've known Patrick ever since 2004 when he came to my degree show at Huddersfield University. He has been a great supporter of my work and has five of my paintings in his collection."

But Frank says when he was first introduced to the English actor things weren't so pleasant.

He said: "I first saw Patrick on Star Trek Generations when he was playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but he had been turned into a baddie. I was seven at the time and totally terrified.

"He's a really nice man though and it was great for him to come along on Thursday."

Frank's exhibition in the capital closes on Saturday and he is currently working on his next show, to take place in Dundee in September.

To view the actual article, please visit the official website of Frank To Fine Art.

SCOTS ARTIST WHO CAUGHT PATRICK'S EYE by Tim Cornwell, The Scotsman 18/04/09

2009-05-04T03:06:00.000-07:00

ACTOR Patrick Stewart took time out from a "marvellous" run in Edinburgh this week to visit an exhibition at the Leith Gallery featuring Frank To, a young Scottish artist whose work he collects.

Stewart has been buying art for 20 years, he said, including five works by To.

"This is my private passion. I like to have pictures around me, I have two homes and I've run out of wallspace."

The two men first met at Huddersfield University, where Stewart is chancellor. Falkirk-born To, 26, was a student there before returning to Scotland to do his masters at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee.

He has since shown work alongside Peter Howson and Damien Hirst.

"I think he's very gifted, and I'm delighted he's beginning to get an international audience," Stewart said. "He's adventurous and bold, and not afraid of a big canvas."

To's portrait of the actor is on sale as part of the show, for £1,700, the last of three he completed.

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

FRANK GOES WHERE NO ARTIST HAS GONE BEFORE IN ROMAN PORTRAIT by Hazel Mollison, The Edinburgh Evening News, 17/04/09

2009-05-04T02:51:00.000-07:00

Patrick Stewart hails image as it goes on display in Capital

Patrick Stewart hails image as it goes on display in Capital

HE has boldly gone where no artist has gone before.

Frank To created a striking image of actor Patrick Stewart, aka Star Trek Captain Jean-Luc Picard, in the style of a Roman emperor.

And when the artist showed it to the man himself at a gallery in Leith, the 68-year-old Stewart - currently in the Capital performing in Waiting for Godot at the King's Theatre - gave it his seal of approval.

The actor became friends with the young artist when Mr To was a student and he was chancellor of Huddersfield University.

Stewart admired his work at a graduate exhibition and bought two pictures. Since then, he has eagerly followed his career and was happy to sit for a portrait.

His profile, in red and orange colours, is one of the eye-catching paintings now on display at the Leith Gallery, on The Shore.

Stewart said: "For me, it was especially gratifying to find a student whose work was so exciting and fresh. Since then, I've got to know him and keep abreast of his exhibitions. I've got pictures by him in both my homes. I'm very impressed by his latest work. It's very different from his earlier pictures, which were very abstract."

He said he has enjoyed returning to Edinburgh for the first time in more than a decade. He is performing until tomorrow in the sell-out production, opposite his X-Men co-star Sir Ian McKellen.

He said: "I'm here with my girlfriend this time, and we've had time to be tourists. We've loved it - I wish I could stay longer.

"It's such a beautiful city and unlike anywhere else. I'm a fan of architecture and I've enjoyed walking up streets and looking at all the details on old buildings. We also enjoyed the Turner and Italy exhibition.

"We've had a wonderful welcome, with full houses every night. One of the most charming things is, in every city, we've used local young actors. We've really enjoyed working with them."

Mr To, 26, who is originally from Falkirk, said Stewart's interest and encouragement had been a huge morale boost.

He is already making a name for himself as a figurative artist, with exhibitions in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London. His work has also featured on STV's Rebus.

He said: "I met Patrick by chance when he came to my degree show. I was very surprised.

"It's been nice to have someone like that support me and believe in me. It was a massive boost."

He said he had been inspired by depictions of kings and emperors on ancient coins when painting the portrait. He said: "I was thinking about art and propaganda, and why they put the head of the monarch on to coins. Patrick acted in Anthony and Cleopatra, and that inspired the idea."

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

GALLERY ROUND-UP, The Herald April 11th 2009

2009-05-01T05:50:00.000-07:00

The Leith Gallery

65 The Shore

0131 553 5255

www.the-leith-gallery.co.uk

Mon- Fri 11am- 5pm;

Sat 11am- 4pm

Until April 25

The Leith Gallery in Edinburgh has always had a policy of promoting young artists, and its annual Faces exhibition features the cream of Scotland's art school graduates. Graham Flack was one of the featured artists in 2001, while Frank To exhibited there in 2006.

Flack, whose work reveals a fascination with the human head and the space around it, was born in Northern Ireland and studied at Edinburgh College of Art. He won third prize in the BP Portrait Award in 2003 and was one of four shortlisted artists for the Aspect Prize in 2007. He has been recommended as one of the ‘Top 20 of Scottish Art' new and old to invest in, and his work is in many collections including The Scottish Office, Edinburgh College of Art and that of actor Robert Carlyle.

At just 26, Frank To has garned himself an impressive reputation with his psychologically intense studies of the human form teased out of an abstract background. His most famous collector is the actor Patrick Stewart. To has produced a powerful study of Stewart's head specially for this exhibition.

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

SHOOTING STAR, Homes and Interiors Scotland Magazine Issue 64 March- April 2009

2009-04-30T04:49:00.000-07:00

Text by Catherine Coyle

Despite an uncertain start to his artistic career, Frank To's stock has rocketed since he graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone in 2005. Twice rejected by Glasgow School of Art and snubbed by many of the city's art galleries, To has nevertheless won massive success and is now much sought- after. Tipped by Homes & Interiors Scotland magazine back in 2006 as one to watch, To exhibits a brand new body of abstract paintings in his show, Boundaries, at the Leith Gallery, alongside fellow artist Graham Flack. Prices for To's work have trebled in the last few years, demonstrating the investment potential in this young talent.

Boundaries, The Leith Gallery, 65 The Shore, Edinburgh, April 4- 25

0131 553 5655, www.the-leith-gallery.co.uk

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

TO BE FRANK by Ann Russell, The Whit? Issue 2, Glasgow Aye Pullout Magazine 05/03/09

2009-04-15T04:49:00.000-07:00

A chattering Frank To welcomes me into his immaculate studio, laughs at my surprise and remarks, "The state of your room affects the state of your mind" a motto reflected in his shiny loafers and spotless denim. I settle into an inviting couch while To (pronounced Tow) makes us some tea in the shadow of a large paint spattered canvas.

He is of Chinese origin but was born and brought up in the east end of Glasgow. The 26- year- old returned to his native Scottish city after a spell of what he calls ‘self imposed exile'. He graduated from the University of Huddersfield with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art and went on to gain a Masters of Fine Art from Duncan of Jordanstone Art College where he was taught by leading contemporary artist Calum Colvin.

BREAK- UP

I ask where his artistic journey began. "My girlfriend broke up with me and I felt like I had to get away. I took a year off from my BA and went to Europe to immerse myself in the work of the old masters. During this time I began to appreciate sculpture. I read a book by Giorgio Vasari called ‘The Lives of the Artists'. It said Michelangelo would sit and stare at a solid form for hours at a time. He sought to free his figures from their marble present." He smiles contentedly. "I was so inspired by this technique that I adapted it to suit my own work and it was then that I began to tweak figures out of my paintings."

To shifts in his chair, leans to one side, sighs briefly and lowers his voice as if sharing a secret. "In the first and second years of my degree, I was out drinking, partying and chasing girls. In third year my girlfriend broke up with me and my mum was diagnosed with cancer. From then on I became completely focused".

CELEB FANS

The young contemporary painter has received extensive commendation for his innovative style which has attracted a loyal celebrity following including Star Trek legend Patrick Stewart and Doctor Who Star, David Tennant. Stewart first bought To's work in 2006. To admit being ‘star struck' at the time but now regards the actor as "a great friend and mentor".

To modestly plays down his success and seems slightly baffled by the acclaim that surrounds his work. "I'm not naturally talented. I've just worked my a**e off". He pauses, looks pensive, then adds: "I had a lack of confidence in my work for a long time. As a teenager I was picked on quite severely and at school I think they associated art with being weak". Far from defeated the ever resourceful To has big plans, he intends to use the economic downturn to his advantage. His advice (unsurprisely) is for the public to purchase art, however, the logic behind this assertion seems to make sense. "People have a fear of the current economic climate. I would advise them to look to art as a form of investment. It has a mid to long term value and in general paintings accumulate worth as they get older". He adds: "There is no point being down in the dumps when I could create something that inspire people."

GOOD EXAMPLES

I want to provide an example of hope by working hard and doing well during the recession. Tracy Emin and Damien Hirst worked hard during the last recession in the early 1990s and look at them now. I think my business skills will help me through".

To's business suggestions are not to be sniffed at. He won the Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT) regional business award last year and is regularly praised for his entrepreneurial skills, admitting his choice to study at the University of Huddersfield was influenced by the opportunity to take art related business modules;

"At Huddersfield they combined a business element into the course which made it stand out from others I looked at. I needed a new challenge and desperately wanted to get out of Glasgow. I watched a documentary on the singer Sting one night. He said he left Newcastle because he used to see ships being built at the docks, for months he watched them until they eventually set sail, never to be seen again. It made me think of the Clyde and it strengthened my resolve to see new things."

To confesses that his adventurous spirit is a reaction to his ‘restricted upbringing'. He refers to his childhood with a wan smile, as if trials of the past have shaped the man he is today: "I had a fairly restricted upbringing being of Chinese origin and attended a Catholic school." He tells me: "I wanted to get away from these traditions. I am very accepting of all religions and ethnicities but I don't believe that children should have beliefs forced upon them. Before I went to university I had never interacted with a gay person before because at school we were led to believe that it was some sort of forbidden taboo. I soon learned that was bulls**t and they are just normal human beings like the rest of us. It annoys me when people judge something they know nothing about."

"My mum wasn't pleased when I said I wanted to be an artist. I think she hoped I would do something more academic. On my first night travelling I was in Copenhagen. I slept rough and washed in a cafe toilet. I guess that is how people see artists sometimes. They are generally looked down upon. But the more success I achieve the more people realise that I'm doing something worthwhile."

To shrugs then confesses that his run of luck has infact been intertwined with a handful of bad decisions. At least he's human. "One of the biggest mistakes I made was the misconception that I was going to get ‘discovered' at my degree show. This is the biggest trap of all and one that many art students fall in to. If I could go back in time I would make myself learn the colour wheel. Can you believe I didn't know that till I went to university?" he sniggers "I'd say ‘Don't be so arrogant. Be humble, fix that awful fashion sense and don't fall in love so easily'". Hindsight is a wonderful thing but To doesn't need to dwell on regrets. His perseverance has led to representation being secured with top agents in London and New York, proof that an inspirational forward thinking attitude can turn the boy from Glasgow into a global success.

Unlike his fellow students To was actively sending his work to galleries whilst on his Masters course. His proactively led to an offer from the Fairfax Contemporary Art Gallery in London to show his masters collection at the Affordable Art Fair, the showcase for contemporary art priced at under £3000. After To's success at the fair, other galleries began to take interest in his paintings: "In my first year as a working artist I had over 30 exhibitions, it was suicidal but it got my name out there. Now, as I become more widely recognized I can pick and choose galleries I exhibit at, I plan to do round 3 or 4 exhibitions this year"

To's paintings now sell for anything from £500 for a small print to £10,000 for a large canvas. "Some artists think that having business skills is selling out and that we should all be bohemians with tormented souls and paint splattered clothes but when those guys are working in Tesco and I have become a leading Scottish artist, I can walk past and say ‘I told you so'"

His recent place at number 12 in the Scotland on Sunday ‘top 100 hot Scots' suggests he is already a leading man in the eligibility stakes. The mention of his nomination makes him chuckle: "Yeah I had some explaining to do to my girlfriend when that came out. I didn't think it was a big deal but then I had a few weird offers on Valentine's Day. I had to laugh". The young draughtsman is relaxed and confident around his work. He is technically brilliant, manipulating paint and chemicals to create life forms that glow with a mesmerizing spiritual force. He keeps his profession close to his chest as if protecting something precious. I can't help thinking there is an eccentric side to the polished To that only his paintings get to see: "Nobody knows I'm an artist until I tell them. I just look like a normal guy. I live by a very important business rule "Don't show your real self until it is necessary".

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

2009-03-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-15T03:43:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-15T03:38:00.000-07:00

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.

MY FAVOURITE LOOK by Ali Howard, Sunday Herald 25/01/09

2009-02-20T07:02:00.000-08:00

Interview by Ali Howard

Photograph by Kirsty Anderson

Frank To, fine artist

I've always been into post- Victorian/ 1920s fashion, as reflected in the style of my bag and shoes. I like the gentlemen image. There's no point looking like a behemoth with paint on my clothes; I maybe an artist, but I still know how to present myself. So I have a casual- smart look that works both for attending meetings with people and painting in my studio. I like to shop at Zara and Gap as their sizes fit me well, and H&M do nice textile fabrics in shirts. But stuff in charity shops can also catch my eye

My sister Florence made this shirt for me for my birthday. She's a Masters graduate of Fashion at Glasgow School of Art and is currently making a new collection of menswear clothing. This shirt is based on the idea of metamorphosis, the idea of "changing" or "mutating" from one form to another. I like it as it's quite loose, but elegantly made.

Even when I was at university, I dressed smart. This also means that the bag has to be right for me- smart and functional. I found this bag on eBay. It was fierce bidding as it was a vintage item. I stayed awake the entire night making sure I would win. Luckily, the guy bidding against me realised I wasn't going to back down and gave up.

I bought this waistcoat from Zara as something smart for my show opening. It's not too confining and it's cool to wear.

This TAG Heuer watch was given to me by my mother on my 21st birthday. I think my mother knows that I've got conservative taste. The memory that it was given for my 21st birthday makes it more special.

I'm always working in a rough- floored environment, so whenever I kneel down, there's a strong possibility that I'll encourage holes in my jeans. After art school I realised the more money I invested in jeans and trousers, the more robust they'd be- and that I'd save money in the long term. I bought these Levi's jeans a year ago and they're still going strong.

When I was travelling to London a year ago, as I got off the train the stitching of my shoes broke, Luckily I was staying close to Portobello Market. I went to find some good cheap shoes and immediately fell in love with these boots. They're robust as they're made of old leather.

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

Radio Clyde Interview with Frank To 09/01/09

2009-02-16T02:13:00.000-08:00

Interview by Rob Waller of Radio Clyde. Officially aired 09/01/09

INVESTMENT IN ART PAYING OFF by David Oliver, The Extra 15/01/09

2009-02-13T06:01:00.000-08:00

EVERYONE's pocket has been hit by the credit crunch.

Be it the collapse of a popular high-street brand, the loss of money through bank collapse, or just the soaring cost of living.

Well, except one young Newton Mearns man.

Artist Frank To has seen the price of his work escalate - despite the apparent tightening of purse strings.

He's threatening to go from strength to strength, all on the back of economic instability.

Frank (26) explained to The Extra: "Last year I donated two paintings to the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice. At the time they were worth about £750 each and bidding started at £200. Now prices, for the same pieces just a few years on, are more than £2,000 each.

"I've been exhibiting for eight years now. When the markets were quite stable, my work was selling for £300 max, now it's more than six times that and more and more galleries are looking to pick up my work.

"People are always on the lookout for the next set of Glasgow boys, the new generation of up and coming artists."

With bank savings only guaranteed to £30,000 investors need somewhere safe to stash their cash during a recession. Frank believes that the economic downturn will benefit to the new batch of artists as more investors cut their losses in the stock market and look at alternative uses for their cash.

He added: "Until the last recession, Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin were unknown, then, at the end of the 80s they rose to fame. It's the same this time around. No-one in there right mind would put more than £30,000 into a bank in case it went bust. So what else is there with a stock market in collapse?

"More and more people are viewing art as an investment. Damien Hirst's Shark was initially valued at £25,000 - now it's selling for more than £1m."

So, as painting and economics come to an unlikely collusion, what other financial advice does Frank have for would-be investors?

"When people ask me about buying paintings I always tell them, it's more important to buy something that you enjoy. There's no point in wasting a piece of art you don't like by spending a lot on it, for it not to be displayed."

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

ARTISTS WORK ON SHOW by The Courier, 02/12/08

2009-02-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

A DUNCAN of Jordanstone Art College graduate has returned to Dundee to exhibit at the Queens Gallery Christmas Show.

Frank To, who graduated with a Masters of Fine Art degree, is exhibiting a selection of his latest work.

His latest exhibition follows a successful showing at the Edinburgh Art Fair.

"Frank's Striking figurative images have featured in various of our mixed shows, leading to our featuring a larger body of his work in a successful exhibition in January 2008." Gallery director Joyce McGlone said.

"Not only is it a pleasure to hang Frank's work in the gallery for our customers to enjoy and purchase, it is also a delight to work with a talented young artist who has a completely professional approach to the business of art."

Frank (26), who now works in Glasgow, has earned international recognition as a leading contemporary figurative painter.

His work has been purchased by Star Trek's Patrick Stewart and hangs alongside Picasso and Warhol in private collections in New York.

The Christmas Show runs until December 24.

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

COME TO By Homes Plus Scotland Magazine, Nov- Dec 08

2009-02-04T02:33:00.000-08:00

COME TO

The Kilmorack Gallery's annual Christmas exhibition features the work of Glasgow based artist Frank To. The Beauly based gallery used to be an old church before it was completely refurbished. At 26, To is already winning an enviable reputation for himself as a contemporary figurative painter, having already established a loyal following, including a number of high profile buyers. Such collectors include, Patrick Stewart. A Masters graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, To has also trained in Yorkshire. In recent years, he has exhibited alongside some of the greats of the international art scene such as Peter Howson, Tracy Emin and Damien Hirst. His work has also featured in several galleries nationwide. He is now represented in New York by Witmer Fine Art who has in the past sold works by Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh and Andy Warhol.

Kilmorack Gallery, by Beauly, Inverness- shire. Tel 01463 783 230 http://www.kilmorackgallery.co.uk

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

CHRISTMAS EXHIBITION 2008 By The Herald 29/11/08

2009-02-01T04:07:00.000-08:00

Kilmorack Gallery, by Beauly, Inverness- shire, 01463 782230 www.kilmorackgallery.co.uk Thur- Sun, 11am- 5:30pm until end of March.

Gallery owner Tony Davidson, of the Kilmorack Gallery near Beauly, always pulls together a fine gathering of artists for the annual Christmas exhibition. 3D makers in this show include Illona Morrice, Laurence Broderick, Angus Clyne, Lotte Glob, Sam MacDonald and Peter White. Gallery favourites James Hawkins, Robert McAulay, Eugenia Vronskaya and Kirstie Cohen also have some fine paintings on show, as do relative nercomers Frank To and Paul Bloomer.

Shetland- based Bloomer was born in the Black Country and worked as a labourer in an engineering factory before turning to art as a career. He spent a year at the Royal Academy in London and eight years ago, entranced by the ever- changing light of the Shetland Isles, packed his etching press in his car and headed north. His paintings, which burst with colour and energy, have a real graphic feel.

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

ARTIST IN HIS STUDIO By Gordon May, The Glaswegian 02/10/08

2009-01-26T17:49:00.000-08:00

A NEW breed of Scottish artist with a devoted celebrity following will be showcasing his latest work at the W.A.S.P.S studio in Glasgow.

Glasgow based artist, Frank to will be featured in the highly anticipated event "W.A.S.P.S Open Studio Weekend" at the Workshop and Artists' Studio Provision Scotland building in Dennistoun, opening Saturday.

To will be opening his workshop to the public, displaying new work yet to be exhibited.

At 26, To is already winning an enviable reputation as a contemporary figurative painter, having establishing a loyal following, including a number of high profile buyers. Such a collector is Star Trek legend, Patrick Stewart. Additionally, To's work has been featured in the STV detective drama, Rebus.

A Masters graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, To has also trained in Yorkshire.

In recent years he has exhibited alongside some of the greats of the international art scene.

His work has also featured in several galleries nationwide including the Fairfax Gallery, Tunbridge Wells (2005), Beaux Art Gallery, Bath (2006), Albemarle Gallery, London (2007) and Queens Gallery, Dundee (2008).

He is now represented in New York by Witmer Fine Art, that has in the past sold works by Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh and Andy Warhol. To is currently riding the crest of a wave with his work, and prices are soaring accordingly due to his popularity.

To draws inspiration from the Renaissance sculptor, Michelangelo could visualise the human form within a block of marble. To, similarly, teases out figures from the initially abstract images.

To said: "This event will provide me with the unique opportunity to show the public how I work. W.A.S.P.S Open Studios' opens on Saturday and Sunday at 77 Hanson Street.

FRANK TAKES THE HIGH ROAD FOR HIS ART by David Oliver, The Extra Newspaper, 11/09/08

2009-01-23T06:26:00.000-08:00

A SOUTHSIDE artist will be featured in an exhibition next week in the Highlands.

Frank To (left), from Newton Mearns, will have his work displayed from September 19 in the Art and the Word show at the Kilmorack Gallery in Beauly, near Inverness.

Frank (26) has already exhibited alongside Tracy Emin, Damien Hirst and Peter Howson, and sold pieces to high- profile buyers including Star Trek legend Patrick Stewart, currently on stage in Hamlet in the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Frank's work has also been featured on screen in STV detective drama Rebus.

This latest show is of artists who have created work inspired by literature. But Frank says his main inspiration comes from Michelangelo.

He said: "This will provide me with the opportunity to show the public how I am inspired by literal text. I'm showing a more personal side in my new work."

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

BEAULY GALLERY LURES TOP GLASGOW ARTIST by Samantha Chetwynd,The Press & Journal Inverness 06/09/08

2009-01-12T06:26:00.000-08:00

ARTIST INSPIRED BY MICHELANGELO

By Samantha Chetwynd

A GRADUATE from Dundee Art School who draws inspiration from Michelangelo will exhibit his work at an Inverness- shire gallery next week.

Frank To, 26, will have four paintings on display at the Art and the Word show at the Kilmorack Gallery, Beauly.

His work will be exhibited alongside several established Scottish artists who have created work inspired by literature.

Mr To, who is based in Glasgow, is already creating a reputation as a contemporary figurative painter, having established a loyal following that includes a number of high- profile buyers such as Star Trek legend Patrick Stewart.

His work has also been featured in television detective drama Rebus.

And in recent years his work has been exhibited alongside that of Tracy Emin and Damien Hirst.

He said: "This exhibition will provide me the opportunity to show the public how I am inspired by literal text.

"In a way, I'm showing a more personal side with the new work."

The exhibition opens on September 12.

ART SCHOOL ROUNDUP by Homes and Interiors Scotland Magazine May- June 2008 Issue 59

2009-01-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

Duncan of Jordanstone

Dundee's Duncan of Jordanstone has become a hotbed for creative talent. Ranked as one of the top three art schools in the UK, its students are regularly winners of national competitions.

RECENT STARS Lucy McKenzie (Art Now at Tate Modern), Scott Myles (Tate Trennial 2006), Anna King, inaugural Jolomo Lloyds TSB Award Winner in 2007, Johanna Basford, winner of Elle Decoration Design Awards 2007, award winning sisters Kim and Lara Scouller, and Frank To.

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

TO BOLDLY GO....FOR A SHOWCASE

2009-01-06T04:39:00.000-08:00

A New breed of Glasgow artist whose work is collected by Star Trek hero Patrick Stewart is to showcase his latest work at Glasgow Art Fair.

Newton Mearns- based Frank To is showing three new pieces of work following successful exhibitons in London and the United States.

The 26- year- old who paints at the WASPS Artists' Studios in Dennistoun is being promoted by the Mansfield Park Gallery.

Only Time, Rewrite and Titan are some of his most evocative works to date.

He said: "My work used to be more figurative, but my new work is more personal. People will be able to relate to what's in the paintings more."

Patrick Stewart (aka Captain Jean- Luc Picard) has so far bought five of the Scot's paintings.

Frank studied art at Huddersfield University and Duncan of Jordanstone College in Dundee, and previously showed work with Tunbridge Wells- based gallery, Fairfax.

He added: "The Art Fair shows on an international level that Scotland has a strong art reputation, with artists such as Peter Howson, Ken Currie and Jack Vettriano. It helps put Scotland on the map in the art world."

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

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL by Jan Patience The Herald 02/02/08

2009-01-02T05:49:00.000-08:00

Frank To's work is fired by ambition says Jan Patience

Young artists are not what they used to be. Once upon a time, any self respecting artist in their twenties spent whole days down the pub, smoking furiously, drinking heavily and arguing over weighty issues such as whether or not art schools destroy art. These days, you are more likely to find them networking with London galleries or with agents in New York, putting together business plans and setting up a website in order to market and control their own work.

Who is to say which is the better path, but what is certain is that being a talented young artist in 2008 is a vastly different experience from being such a creature a generation ago.

Frank To is the only exhibiting artist at the Queen's Gallery's New Generations exhibition who hasn't got his own website. But the 25- year- old, from Newton Mearns south of Glasgow, does have a New York agent called Michel Witmer and a London gallery, Albermarle.

He is currently riding the crest of a wave with his work, and prices are soaring accordingly. This time last year, a reasonable sized To painting would have cost you £800. Today it would be £1700.

There is real drama in his work- a brooding mental energy that sucks you in and leaves you wondering what, why, where? He talks about how his hero Michelangelo considered marble for days on end before teasing out the figure within, and how it is his preferred method of working too.

He places himself into the work at every turn. One painting in the New Generations exhibition, Time after Time, shows two figures facing each other with a gap between them, He says "This came out of a personal experience I had of having feelings for someone which were never realised although there is a sense of ‘what if?'"

There is a multi- layered approach to Frank To's work. In the first place, he creates an abstract scene. He works quickly, layering the paint in sweeping gestures. He then drips turpentine on the surface to create a mottled textured layer and uses whatever he has to hand- a discarded neon light strip is a favourite- to work the surface into a state of readiness.

At that point, he steps back, and looks for the figure within. His figures are then drafted in with a rag soaked in turpentine.

The influence of masters, old and young is obvious. He studied under Calum Colvin at Duncan of Jordanstone in Dundee, where he gained an MA in 2005. "Calum instilled in me the need to be professional and the way he presented himself was a huge influence," To says.

With the professionalism comes ambition. "My goal is to be made a member of the Royal Academy by the time I'm 30," he smiles. "Turner was admitted by the time he was my age, so I won't be the youngest ever, but it is a real burning desire."

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

TO BOLDLY GO TO DUNDEE EXHIBITION by The Courier 11th January 2008

2008-12-30T06:57:00.000-08:00

DUNDEE- TRAINED artist Frank To is going from strength to strength with his latest Scottish exhibition.

Twelve of To's paintings will be featured in the highly anticipated group show "New Generations" at the Queen's Gallery, Dundee, opening on January 26.

To will be exhibiting alongside three emerging Scottish painters tipped for the top.

To (25) is already winning an enviable reputation for himself as a contemporary figurative painter, having already established a loyal following, including a number of high profile buyers. One such buyer is Star Trek's Captain Jean- Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart, who now owns five of To's paintings.

A Master graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, To has also trained in Yorkshire.

In recent years he has exhibited alongside some of the greats of the international art scene such as Peter Howson, Tracy Emin and Damien Hirst,

His work has also featured in several galleries nationwide including the Fairfax Gallery, Tunbridge Wells (2005); Beux Art Gallery, Bath (2006) and the Albemarle Gallery, London (2007).

He is now represented in New York by Witmer Fine Art that has in the past sold works by Picasso, Van Gogh and Andy Warhol.

He draws inspiration from the Renaissance sculptor, Michelangelo.

It was said Michelangelo could visualise the human form within a block of marble.

To, similarly, teases out figures from initially abstract images.

To said, "I'm delighted to be one of the very few invited to do this exhibition. I hope this show will be the one of many that contributes the importance and reputation of Scottish painting in the art world."

BOLDLY GLOWING by Jan Patience, Homes and Interiors Scotland Magazine Jan - Feb 2008 issue 57 Pg 90

2008-12-28T16:01:00.000-08:00

Glasgow School of Art rejected him twice, but determination, hard graft and a burning desire to follow in Turner's footsteps have made Frank To more than just one to watch.

Text by Jan Patience

If I was trained in matters of the mind, which I'm not, I'd say it was obvious what attracts people to Frank To's work and why, at the comparatively tender age of 25, he has attracted such a lot of attention at home, in London and in New York, where he already has an agent.

In April last year, Homes & Interiors Scotland selected Glasgow- based Frank as one of five young artists to watch and, in the intervening 18 months, demand for his paintings has soared, with a painting which would have cost £800 this time last year now sporting a £1700 price tag.

Aside from several not- so- famous notable collectors, the Shakespearian actor Patrick Stewart, best- known for his roles in Star Trek and X- Men, is a fan of his work, having first spotted him as a promising art student at the University of Huddersfield, where Frank completed his degree in Fine Art and Stewart is still Chancellor.

Stewart contacted To by email a year later, when he was studying for a Masters at Dundee's Duncan of Jordanstone college, to say he wanted to buy one of his paintings. "I thought it was one of my friends playing a joke", he laughs. "I actually went online to find his official fan website and sent an email to his office asking if it was a hoax. But it wasn't. Patrick now has several of my paintings and I've been down to visit him at his house in London, where he has an amazing art collection".
It is easy to see why an actor of the calibre of Stewart would be drawn to a Frank To painting. There is drama in a Frank To painting. A brooding mental energy that sucks you in and leaves you wondering what, why, where? There is always something or someone or even part of someone emerging from the depths of one of his paintings. This is probably because this engaging, highly focused artist stirs himself into the work in a way that many of his peers- of all ages- do not.

In putting himself into the work, the viewers put themselves into it, which offers them a reassuring connection with the painting. When he talks about how his hero Michelangelo considered marble for days on end before he teased out the figure within, setting it free from its solid mass, it sounds plausible when he explains that this is his preferred method of working, too. Frank's modus operandi is to create in the first instance an abstract work which is a painting in its own right. He works quickly, layering the paint and fizzing his own energy on to the canvas in great sweeping gestures. This is the conceptual part of the To artistic process.

It continues when he drips turpentine on the surface to create a mottled textured layer and then uses whatever he has to hand- be a discarded neon light strip or whatever- to work the surface into a state of readiness.

It is only at that point that Frank steps back, furrows his brow and looks for the figure within the canvas. His figures or body parts are drafted in with a rag soaked in turpentine and this is the traditionalist part of the process, for (despite the unconventional tool), Frank is a fine draughtsman, having spent long hours sitting in galleries round Europe sketching works of the Old Masters.

One of his most prized possessions is a well- thumbed leather notebook with incredibly detailed handwritten sketches and notes taken during a four- month spell travelling in Europe and talking to artists he met along the way.

He says: "I just disappeared for four months after I left Huddersfield University. I was recovering from a broken relationship and none of my family or friends knew where I went, but I see the trip now as an important stage in my artistic development."

Many of Frank's figures pay homage to the likes of Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci. He is also a prodigious reader and soaks up influence from all directions from the Geek philosophers to Dante and his box- like yet perfectly ordered studio in the W.A.S.P.S building in Dennistoun, Glasgow, is packed with books all description.

This sense of order is important to Frank To. "If you look around," he explains, "you'll see this is where I paint, this is where I keep my books, this is where I display work and this is my office area. I think it's important to approach being a professional artist in this way."

One of the most sensitive pieces in his studio when we meet in late November is a painting destined for his forth- coming show at the Queen's Gallery, Dundee entitled Time After Time, in which two clothed figures stand facing each other with a considerable gap between them. They are clad in medieval costume and, as is usual in one of Frank's paintings, theirs features obscured.

"This came out of a personal experience I had of having feelings for someone which were never realised although, as you probably pick up, there is a sense of 'what if?'"

It is this ability to place great depths of feeling within a painting that has won him many admirers in the three short years he has been working as a professional artist.

Incredibly, given his popularity, Frank was rejected by Glasgow School of Art twice. The first time was when he left school and the second time, when he applied to do a Masters after completing his degree at Huddersfield.

Happily he pitched up in Dundee, which has an international reputation for painting and suited him down the ground. "By the time I got to Dundee, I was thinking of myself as an artist," he explains. "My year out after leaving Huddersfield was my true education.

"Dundee is renowned for the painting side of things. I had heard it was rated beside the Royal College in London and I knew many of the artists who had come from there by reputation. By chance I was teamed up with the artist Calum Colvin as my tutor, which was a bit overwhelming at first to be honest. It was great for me. Calum thought I had the practical experience, but felt I lacked confidence.

"He instilled in me the need to be professional and the way he presented himself was a huge influence on me. At Huddersfield, the approach was very conceptual and it taught me how to think. In the years since then, I have learned how to paint."

Frank's work was picked up on quickly after he left Dundee, with all but one of the works in his degree show selling at London's Affordable Art Fair. "After my success there, I felt confident about approaching galleries. I felt I had an original concept and it seemed to work," he says. "I also received help in the shape of a grant from the Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust. I asked myself what would be the point of all that studying if I wasn't going to give it a go and become a full- time painter," he reflects.

He attributes his family background - his Chinese- born parents were in the catering trade - to instilling in him a sense of making his chosen career work for him. Today, just two years on from leaving college, Frank is making real in- roads into his ambitions, chief among which is the desire to be made a member of the Royal Academy by the time he is 30. "Turner was admitted by the time he was my age, so I won't be the youngest ever, but that is a real burning desire of mine," he admits.

As well as being represented by the notable Albemarle Gallery in London, he is also moving towards making an impression in America, following in the footsteps of eminent Scots artists such as the Scottish Colourists and the so- called New Glasgow Boys.

A collector of his work put him in touch with New York agent Michel Witmer who had admired a painting of his when he visited her home. "He represents mainly dead artists like Andy Warhol," To says with a laugh.

"I went over to New York, with a painting under my arm to meet him, which was a challenge when it came to Customs, and he now represents me over there." His next exhibition in Scotland is a mixed show at the Queen's Gallery in Dundee, starting on January 26. As well as armfuls of talent, To is a resourceful young man, who knows he has to stay focus to stay ahead of the game.

For more information on the forthcoming exhibition at the Queen's Gallery, Dundee, in which Frank To is exhibiting alongside work by Kim Scouller, Douglas Ralston and Jane Cruikshank, Dundee, visit www.queensgallery.co.uk

S.T.V Interview With Frank To Fine Artist

2008-12-28T06:20:00.000-08:00

Interview by Nige Buckland

Scottish artist Frank To talks about his abstract paintings and recent RBS Young Entrepreneur nomination.

To watch the interview, please click here

BRUSH WITH SUCCESS by Scottish Field October 2007

2008-12-25T07:08:00.000-08:00

BRUSH WITH SUCCESS

Glasgow born artist Frank To is going from strength to strength since graduating from Dundee Art School. At 25, To is already winning an enviable reputation for himself as a contemporary figurative painter, having established a loyal following, including a number of high profile buyers. One such buyer is Star Trek legend, Patrick Stewart who now owns five of To's paintings. Additionally, STV has snapped up some of his work to be featured on detective drama, Rebus this autumn.

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

AWARD CHOICE A STROKE OF GENIUS by Andy Newport, THE PAISLEY DAILY EXPRESS 15th September 2007

2008-12-23T05:08:00.000-08:00

Artist now knows he can bank on his talent

By Andy Newport

A young artist's face was a picture after he walked away with a top business award and a £600 cash boost.

Frank To, founder of F. To Fine Art, was all smiles after her beat the business talents of Paisley's best young start- ups to win the 2007 regional final of the Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT) and The Royal Bank of Scotland Business Awards

Frank, 25, decided he wanted to become a full- time artist in 2005 having completed his Masters in Fine Arts at Duncan of Jordanstone Art School in Dundee.

With support from PSYBT, in his first year of being self employed, Frank took part in more than 30 exhibitions, with some of his works being exhibited alongside Britain's best contemporary artists from the 20th century.

Counting Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart among his clients, Frank is commanding premium prices for his works which are becoming much sought after, both in the U.K and in the States.

The awards ceremony, which took place at Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire, was attending and supported by RBS banking manager George Kenney, who presented Frank To with the £600 cheque.

He will now be considered by the judging panel to go forward for the national final in Glasgow in November.

Six of the 18 regional winners will be selected to compete for the coveted national title of PSYBT and Royal Bank of Scotland Young Entrepreneur of the Year, with the opportunity to win £1500.

The runner- up in the awards is Paisley girl Pauline Clifford, founder of Starsparkles,

Pauline set up her business producing customised training shoes originally for the Qube shop in Glasgow.

The shoes are individually decorated with Swarovski crystals and can retail at £200 per pair.

Pauline's sparkling designs have already been snapped up by Madonna and Paris Hilton and a number of well known high street retailers such as Office and she is actively marketing in the United States.

She was presented with the runner- up prize of £300- sponsored by Renfrewshire Council- by Provost Celia Lawson.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, PSYBT regional manager Tony Dorrington said: "To recognise and celebrate the success of young entrepreneurs who are creating wealth, and who are making a positive contribution to their local community with this business award, is a privilege for all of us involved and a great inspiration to others. We wish them well in the finals."

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

STARSTRUCK BY FRANK'S WORK By Emma Davison, Huddersfield Daily Examiner 25th Aug 2007

2008-12-23T03:30:00.000-08:00

By Emma Davison

STAR TREK legend Patrick Stewart boasts a fine art collection.

But while the Mirfield-born star has his pick of works by the world's top artists, he doesn't have to travel the universe to find some of his favourites.

Frank To, a fine art graduate from Huddersfield University, is deeply admired by Patrick and has sold him five of his paintings since graduating from his course three years ago.

And, unsurprisingly, the Royal Shakespeare Company actor prefers his art to have a theatrical quality.

Frank first came face-to-face with Patrick, the university's chancellor, at his end-of-course show.

He said: "I was putting the finishing touches to my work before the show and my tutor came in and asked me if I wanted to meet Patrick, who was having a sneak preview of the degree show.

"He told me he was completely blown away by my work, and the style and scale of it.

"We got talking about it in some depth, and after the show he got back in touch with me and requested some paintings.

"He enjoys the emotional impact of my work and the pieces of mine he has collected are very emotive.

"They are quite dark and have a Shakespearean quality to them. One has a visual reference to the Tempest.

"Patrick doesn't tell me what he wants; he lets me be myself. Because he's an actor and I'm an artist we're both trying to express our unique voices in our own fields.

"He understands the importance of being individual and not just producing work that is a copy of something else.

"He is now a great supporter of my work and makes the effort to come and see me when I'm exhibiting in London."

The admiration he has gained from the star is just another feather in the Glasgow-born artist's cap.

Aged just 25 and back living in Glasgow, he is already winning an enviable reputation for himself as a contemporary figurative painter. He has exhibited alongside some of the greats of the international art scene, including Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.

Frank says he owes a big part of his success to the time he spent at the university, the only one in Britain to offer a fine arts and business BA degree course.

He said: "I owe my success to the university. It gave me the solid foundation and inspiration for becoming an artist.

"Huddersfield gave me the essential foundations to do my paintings and helped me develop my work, which is still drawn from my final year there.

"The achievements I have gained after leaving the university are more than some people who graduate from top institutes like the Royal College of Art.

"Having the talent is not enough to survive as an artist - you have to know how to use it. And this is where the university helped me, by teaching me how to promote and market myself.

"The staff were fantastic, and gave me the support and encouragement I needed to establish myself as an artist.''

Since graduating his work, which sells for £2,000 a piece, has featured in several national art fairs and shows. He is now represented by the New York art dealer Michel Witmer, who has in the past sold works by Picasso, Van Gough and Andy Warhol.

In spite of his success Frank is determined not to forget Huddersfield and, like Patrick, champions it wherever possible.

He said: "Whenever I travel to exhibitions in places like London or New York I always emphasise that I am there because of Huddersfield.

"To me Huddersfield is more than a small town, because it's the place where I found my edge in painting.''

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

OUR BRUSHES WITH SUCCESS by Graeme Lennox Sunday Mail 27th May 2007

2008-12-22T07:26:00.000-08:00

By Graeme Lennox

Frank's work is inspired by Renaissance artist Michelangelo.

The 25- year-old, from Paisley, has sold four paintings to Star Trek Patrick Stewart and his work will feature in an upcoming episode of Rebus.

How I did it: When I was 17 I became depressed. I was going through psychotherapy, but I found that nothing helped me express myself like painting.

My career as an artist took off before the end of my Masters degree at Duncan of Jordanstone Art School in Dundee. Patrick Stewart came to a show and was blown away by the power of the paintings. He now owns four pieces.

Last year was my first year as a full- time artist. I participated in nearly 30 exhibitions, was one of the top five fine art graduates in Scotland and exhibited beside Peter Howson.

2007 is shaping up to be another good year. I have established a connection with a US art dealer and two of my paintings were selected by S.T.V for Rebus- they will be hung in Ken Stott's Leith flat.

Perks: Art turned my life around and defines my existence.

Five Year Plan: The Albemarle Gallery in London have agreed to show my wok this week. It's one of the most prestigious in the U.K so it's a great honour.

Tips: The first few years of an artist's life are tough, but you have to believe and have confidence in yourself.

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

STAR- STUDDED FAN CLUB by Helen Brown, The Courier 21st May 2007

2008-12-22T05:54:00.000-08:00

By Helen Brown

DUNDEE- TRAINED, Glasgow born artist Frank To is showing work in a major exhibition at the Queens Gallery, Dundee.

At 25, he is already winning an enviable reputation for himself as a contemporary figurative painter with a loyal- and impressively high- profile following.

Three of his canvases have been beamed up into the collection of Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart- the cult TV show's Captain Jean- Luc Picard- and more recently Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin, creator of maverick Edinburgh detective John Rebus, has shown an interest in the work of this up-and-coming artist.

A Masters graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art who also trained in Yorkshire, he has exhibited alongside such greats of the Scottish and international art scene as Peter Howson and his work has also featured in the London Art Fair, at shows in Harrogate, Chelsea, Edinburgh and Glasgow and in the collection of Dundee University.

This is his first solo gallery exhibition and consists of all new work- but with an underpinning of subjects he has been itching to paint for some time.

He explained, "I've been trying to get this off my chest since I travelled through Europe in 2002. I did a lot of drawings while I was there, inspired by the Old Masters especially which is something I'd actually read a lot about. There's great book, Vasari's LIVES OF THE ARTIST, which is like a contemporary biographical account of some of the greatest renaissance painters that influenced me a lot, especially when I read about Michelangelo.

"I was inspired by the idea that Michelangelo could visualise the human form within a block of marble and used his artistic skills to 'free' it, and I wanted to explore the idea of teasing out figures from initially abstract images.

"I work in two distinct ways. First, I use broad sweeping brush strokes to create the abstract starting points, then more precise brushwork to turn the abstract into something more figurative."

Although he is becoming known for his highly individual style based on the human form, Frank's approach actually combines the best, as far as he is concerned, of two very different painting styles.

He explained, "The course I took in Yorkshire, at Huddersfield, wasn't a traditional one, it was much more a conceptual course. It wasn't until I did my Masters at Dundee which has a strong reputation in the traditional approach that I found I could mix the two elements into something that was really mine.

"It's like alchemy in a way, putting these elements together to make something new."

Currently busy on a major private commission for a Texan client, achieved through a New York art dealer who has represented legendary names such as Andy Warhol and Jean- Michel Basquiat, Frank is also working in his Glasgow studio for a showcase of Scottish painting at the Modern Artists Gallery in Berkshire and has an opportunity to create work for the Albemarle Gallery in London, one of the art world's most prestigious venues.

"The Texan commission happened after a visit to America in February and it's really interesting- I've never met the client but they apparently have an art collection featuring Picasso and Monet.

"I'm beginning to take a bit more of a gamble with my work this year. I graduated in 2005 and took part in lots of shows throughout 2006 to get a name and get my work out there. Now, in my second year, I feel I'm developing and taking it further.

"Lots of opportunities are coming together so I think things are at a bit of a crucial stage. Failure is not an option so I'm working out how best to tackle this successfully as I can."

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

ARTIST'S CAREER IS ON TREK BY By Ross McKinnon, West End Life 1st Nov 2006

2008-12-21T03:19:00.000-08:00

Painter to stars opens new show

By Ross McKinnon

AN ARTIST whose admirers include Star Trek legend Patrick Stewart is staging an exhibition in the West End.

Frank To, 24, has already sold of his creations to the actor best known for his role as Captain Picard in the T.V sci- fi series.

Now some of Frank's work can be viewed at Mansfield Park Gallery on Hyndland Street in the exhibition entitled Figuratively Speaking.

Frank said: "I met Patrick after my degree show and was slightly hung-over at the time as I had been celebrating.

"When he came in I sobered up pretty quickly. He's a fan of art and liked what he saw of my paintings.

My relationship with Patrick took off from there and last year he bought my work for his own collection."

Now the young painter is enjoying an exhibition in the West End alongside the work of renowned Glasgow artist Peter Howson.

Frank admitted his success over such a short period of time has pleasantly surprised him.

He said: "I'm working non- stop at the moment and have had several exhibitions in London which have sold out.

"It's a great honour to have my paintings shown next to Peter Howson, who is someone I admire.

"My art is also very dark and based on an unusual approach. My painting begins as an abstract with no formal structure before I use specific technique to tweak the figure out of the painting.

"My method is more like sculpture. It can be hit or miss and is very instinctive."

Frank may be making waves in the art scene but the artist, who was rejected by Glasgow School of Art, knows how to keep his feet on the ground- by working in his family's Chinese takeaway restaurant, Mearns Wok, in Ayr Road, Newton Mearns.

He said: "I help out occasionally when they are understaffed. It teaches me to be humble because it's easy to get carried away.

"I don't think it would be a good idea to hang up any of the paintings in the restaurant- it might put customers off their food."

The self- employed artist paints in the WASP studio in Dennistoun and graduated from Huddersfield University with a fine art in painting and drawing degree before completing his MA in fine art at Dundee's Duncan Jordanstone College last year.

IT'S STILL LIFE....BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT, CAPTAIN by Natalie Elliott, The Daily Mail, 28th October 2006

2008-12-21T03:06:00.000-08:00

Star Trek star snaps up canvases by student a top art school turned away

By Natalie Elliott

STAR TREK legend Patrick Stewart has declared the work of a Glasgow School of Art reject to be "out of this world".

Frank To, 24, has sold three canvases to the actor who played Captain Jean- Luc Picard in the cult sci- fi series.

The artist, who was turned down when he applied to study at Glasgow School of Art, graduated from Huddersfield University with a BA honours in painting and drawing before completing his MA in fine art at Dundee's Duncan of Jordanstone College last year,

Mr To said: "I met Patrick after my degree show in Huddersfield and was slightly hungover at the time as I had been celebrating.

"But when he came in I sobered up pretty quickly. He's a fan of art and liked what he saw of my paintings.

"Our relationship took off from there and last year he bought my work for his own collection."

Mr To is currently taking part in an exhibition in Glasgow's West End alongside celebrated painter Peter Howson.

He said: "I'm working non- stop at the moment and have had several exhibitions in London which have sold out. It's a great honour to have my paintings shown next to Peter Howson, who I admire. My art is also very dark and has an unusual approach.

"It begins as abstract, with no formal structure, before I use a more specific technique to tweak the figure out of the painting."

Mr To, who lives in Newton Mearns, near Glasgow, may be rubbing shoulders with celebrities, but still finds time to work in his family's Chinese restaurant, Mearns Wok.

He said: "I help out occasionally when they are understaffed. I can't say no, I'd feel guilty. Besides, it teaches me to be humble.

"I don't think it would be a good idea to hang up any of the paintings in the restaurant- it might put people off their food."

Jim Birrel, who is responsible for undergraduate admissions at Glasgow School of Art, said: "Obviously, we don't have a monopoly on graduates. We are happy to see any artist doing so well. I wish him all the best."

ART SCHOOL REJECT BOLDLY GOES SKY- HIGH IN CAREER by Ross McKinnon, The Evening Times Oct 27th 2006

2008-12-21T02:55:00.000-08:00

By Ross McKinnon

STAR TREK legend Patrick Stewart has declared the work of a Glasgow School of Art reject to be "out of this world".

Frank To, 24, has sold three canvases to the actor best known as Captain Picard in the TV series.

The self- employed artist works in Wasp studio in Dennistoun and graduated from Huddersfield University with a BA honours in painting and drawing before completing his MA in fine art at Dundee's Duncan of Jordanstone College last year,

Frank said: "I met Patrick after my degree show in Huddersfield and was slightly hungover at the time as I had been celebrating.

"When he came in I sobered up pretty quickly. He's a fan of art and liked what he saw of my paintings.

"Our relationship took off from there and last year he bought my work for his own collection."

Now the young painter is enjoying an exhibition in the West End alongside famous Glasgow artist Peter Howson.

Frank admitted his success has pleasantly surprised him.

He said: "I'm working non- stop at the moment and have had several exhibitions in London which have sold out. It's a great honour to have my paintings shown next to Peter Howson, who I admire.

My art is also very dark and has an unusual approach. It begins as abstract, with no formal structure, before I use a more specific technique to tweak the figure out of the painting."

Frank may be making waves in the art scene but he knows how to keep his feet on the ground- by working in his family's Chinese restaurant, Mearns Wok.

He said: "I help out occasionally when they are understaffed. I can't say no -I'd feel guilty. Besides, it teaches me to be humble.

"I don't think it would be a good idea to hang up any of the paintings in the restaurant- it might put people off their food."

Frank's work can be seen at Mansfield Park Gallery, Hyndland Street, until November 18 in the show, Figuratively Speaking.

Jim Birrel, who is responsible for undergraduate admissions at Glasgow School of Art, said: "Obviously, we don't have a monopoly on graduates. We are happy to see any artist doing so well. I wish him all the best."

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

BACK TO SCHOOL... WITH A GIFT by By Lucy Whyte (Southside Extra Paper 12/10/06)

2008-12-20T17:45:00.000-08:00

By Lucy Whyte

SOUTHSIDE artist Frank To has taken the time to give something back to the school where his passion for painting was first ignited.

The 24- year- old from Newton Mearns has gifted St Ninian's High one of his most valuable paintings in an attempt to inspire future artists.

Frank told The Extra: "I want to encourage Southside youngsters who are thinking about becoming artists of any kind to follow their dream. Lots of people are too scared to go for it because they believe it will be too difficult to become a success. But if you have enough talent and determination, nothing should stop you."

Frank began selling his work while he was still at university in Huddersfield and during his masters at Dundee University.

With high- profile fans like actor Patrick Stewart- who owns three of Frank's paintings - his works usually sell for over £2000.

Frank told The Extra: "I took a year out of university and travelled around Europe where I did some self training. I visited all the major art galleries and copied the works of the masters, I then came back home to Glasgow and did some work experience with artists before going back to complete my degree."

His year out definitely paid off as Frank graduated with the highest degree mark in his class.

Frank thinks he's created his own unique style.

He added: "I approach painting in the same way a sculptor would approach a block of stone or wood. I try to bring the form out of the painting, rather than paint around a structure."

Frank is preparing for a five month tour of the UK's galleries, and there are even plans for his work to be displayed in New York.

Despite his rise to fame the former East Renfrewshire schoolboy is most excited about being honoured in his own community.

He added: "I'm in the running for an East Renfrewshire youth festival Oscar award- which is such an honour. I don't even know who nominated me so I got a very pleasant surprise when I received the letter."

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

FACE THE FUTURE By Catherine Coyle, Homes and Interiors Scotland Magazine Issue 46 March/ April

2008-12-19T05:17:00.000-08:00

By Catherine Coyle

Buying art from up- and - coming talents is an exciting prospect. For the last ten years, Edinburgh's Leith Gallery has scoured the country's art colleges, picking the best pieces from rising stars, and exhibiting them at its New Faces show. Catherine Coyle has the lowdown on some of this year's artists who are tipped for the top.

Frank To
DUNCAN OF JORDANSTONE

Twenty- four- year- old Frank To graduated with a masters in fine art from Dundee's Duncan of Jordanstone college in last September and has since enjoyed huge success, particularly in London. To was rejected from Glasgow School of Art twice when he applied to do his undergraduate and masters course there. He was also turned down by some of the city's major art galleries as a student, but has witnessed massive interest in his work outside Glasgow. His abstract style featured in 11 exhibitions throughout the UK during 2005 and 2006 is already shaping up to be a busy year for the young artist. Drawing on literary influences such as the Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, To explores the boundaries between figurative and abstract forms. He describes his style as "improvising with the activity of painting", and likens his method of visualising the subject matter prior to painting to that of Michelangelo. Currently its youngest exhibitor, To is now represented by London's Fairfax Gallery, and can count actor Patrick Stewart as a collector. His paintings range from in price from £450 to £900.

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

FRANK'S DRIVE MAKE IT SO

2008-12-18T04:28:00.000-08:00

Artist with celebrity following realises career dream with the help of P.S.Y.B.T.

When controversy was beginning to envelop the recent Glasgow Art Fair, there was at least one artist from whom the squabbling was immaterial.

While some were arguing that the art fair ought to favour Scottish galleries, Frank To was only too happy to be on both sides of the division – a local artist represented by a London Gallery.

Supported by the PSYBT office in Paisley, Frank only completed his Masters degree in Fine Art last year, but already enjoys the representation of the prestigious Fairfax Gallery in London, the thrill of having his work sell out and being noticed by the rich and famous.

Star Trek’s Patrick Stewart (pictured) has already bought a couple of pieces, courtesy of a relationship that goes back to Frank’s student days. While Frank was studying for his undergraduate degree at the University of Huddersfield, Stewart was the University’s chancellor.

Things are now developing exactly as Frank planned it. Whilst at Duncan of Jordanstone College of art in Dundee, he focused on making himself known in the art world by sending out photographs and slides of his work to galleries and prospective customers and the response was very encouraging.

After all that studying, Frank approached PSYBT because he wanted to put his years of training to the test. “I asked myself what would be the point of all that studying if I wasn’t going to give it a go and become a full time painter.”

Tipped for the top in the lifestyle magazine, Homes and Interiors Scotland – which recently selected its top five arts graduates in Scotland – Frank is now hopeful that, with London now taking notice, so might New York.