By Patricia Zannie
Frank Mancino, a fine artist in Silver Spring, Maryland, is a newer member of Gallery 209. His work encompasses a full range of media and styles, from abstract impasto color explorations in oils and acrylics to traditional representative figures and portraits in charcoal, oil, and pastel.
Frank began formal art study in 2004, later receiving an Associate’s Degree in Fine Art from NoVa and a Certificate in Drawing and Painting from the Corcoran, continuing independent advanced studies in drawing, painting and sculpture, and then, pursuing Art full-time.
In recent years, he has also become fascinated with the textural and sculptural possibilities of paint as a medium, and enjoys incorporating those textures and depths into both his figurative paintings as well as pure abstract explorations in color. Some of Frank’s artwork which combines both representational and abstract concepts are striking in that his curving brush strokes activate the space as if the fabric of the dancer’s costume was actually swirling across the canvas.
Drawing came naturally to Frank as a child, taking a class at the age of seven. As many of us have, as we age, we drift away. Later, in his teens, he turned back to drawing during a difficult point in his life and the drawing had a positive affect, remaining as an incentive for further study and development. In 2004. Frank started his formal training in a drawing class at NoVA.
Frank was very influenced by two painting instructors and a sculpture instructor… Mr. Tom Xanakis, Ms. Natasha Mokina and Mr. Patrick Beldico. The first had a surrealistic approach to representational painting, the second had a Western Classical approach to painting in her artwork, and, the third introduced a dimensionality to representational artwork as well as inspiring Frank to explore comparisons and contrasts between three dimensional objects and their representation on a two dimensional surface. This further peaked Frank’s interest in paint as a three dimensional medium to be used expressively in an abstract way in his artwork.
Today, Frank continues to explore the sculptural attributes of paint as a medium to express dimensionality and integrates it with representational elements in a single work of art. His goal is to develop a meaningful body of work that will captivate the interest of his viewers.