THE SUNDAY HERALD March 7th 2010
ME AND MY... MENTOR
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.
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.
Frank To is exhibiting at the Glasgow Art Fair. March 25- 28 (www.glasgowartfair.com)
Interviews by Marianne Halavage
Photograph by Gordon Terris