Tag Archives: Frank Wilcox

I Like Art

Posted on January 18, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Sometimes I get a little culture.  For example, last Saturday I went to the Renaissance Pub in Little Falls for a Meet the Artist with Frank Wilcox.   The Renaissance periodically hosts local artists in cooperation with Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts.

I am acquainted with Frank from being in a play with him (Strike Story written by Angela Harris), and I have seen his work in several area venues.  Full disclosure:  my original plan was to write about the Renaissance (or the Ren as it is sometimes called) for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  I missed the deadline for the February issue, so I will try again for a future issue (unless another writer beats me to it).  In the meantime, I wanted to give the place a shout-out, and give folks a chance to go see some of Frank Wilcox’s paintings.

I can’t quite get a good picture of behind the bar.

Of course I sat at the bar and had a glass of wine.  One must support a venue that promotes local artists.  Unfortunately the kitchen was not open yet, because the food there is very good.

It’s hard to take good pictures of pictures.

I was there early enough that it was not too crowded yet, so I did not have to worry about asking a bunch of strangers if it was OK if they were in the picture.  I did not take too many pictures in any case, because they did not seem to be turning out very well.  Therefore, I encourage all local readers to go to the Ren and take a look for themselves.

Erynn Lowery and Victoria Cheney

I was fortunate enough to get a picture of the proprietress and bartender.  Unfortunately Victoria, the bartender, was moving soon.

You really should go see this one.

I took a picture of my favorite painting.  I was happy to get a chance to tell Frank how much I liked it.  Unfortunately, there are no walls in my house big enough to properly show off a picture that big.  As I type this, I look around at all the nice pictures on my walls now, which include at least a few by local artists.  That was my husband Steven’s talent, hanging pictures and interior decoration.  Still, I could retire a couple of pictures if I acquired any more art.  I certainly hope to attend more Meet the Artists at the Renaissance.

The Renaissance Pub is located at 550 E. Main St., Little Falls, NY, phone number 315-556-1006. Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts is located at 401-403 Canal Place, Little Falls, phone number 315-823-0808. You can Like them both on Facebook.

 

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Adirondack Landscapes at MVCA

Posted on October 8, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Full Disclosure: I’ve started this blog post three times and wasn’t happy with any of them. I’m going to go with my third first paragraph and reserve the right to write further posts on the subject.

Another note: I know protocol for news writing is to refer to someone by first and last name the first time you mention them, then by last name only. It did not feel write to talk about Wilcox. To me he is Frank and that is how I refer to him. I hope that’s OK.

I was disappointed that I could not find a friend to accompany me to the exhibit opening at Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts (MVCA) last Saturday. However, I did not want to miss the opening reception for Frank Wilcox’s “Landscapes Old and New.” I figured I would find people there to chat with and I hoped to hear Frank talk about his work. I was right on both counts.

As I walked around looking at the paintings, I chatted with a few people. One was another artist, Pamela Menotti. I mention her, because she gave me a card about her own exhibition, “All Aboard: Train Paintings in Pastel,” at the Kirkland Town Library in Clinton, NY from Nov. 1 to 30 with an opening reception Nov. 8 from 12 to 2 p.m. I carefully tucked the postcard into my notebook and returned to perusing Frank’s exhibit.

The exhibit features landscapes of the Adirondacks. Last fall at MVCA’s Annual Great Art Giveaway, Frank talked about the sense of place in his art. He wanted people to look at his paintings and say, “I’ve been there,” or somewhere like there. I like that idea, because one thing I love is to look at art and say, “I wish I was there.” Looking at the paintings Saturday, I said, “I’ve been somewhere like there,” several times, and “I wish I was there” about practically every work.

The new landscapes were the Adirondack Ikons, inspired by an ikon that was given to Frank, and by music by the British composer John Tavener. An ikon is a visual representation of a spiritual idea. Ikons traditionally use specific colors. Frank used these colors in his Adirondack Ikons. He talked about the colors and the inspiration of the music. He suggested we return when the gallery is less busy to study the paintings while listening to the music that inspired them.

After his talk, Frank answered questions, which I enjoyed very much. He talked about his work methods habits, his background and more. I didn’t ask any questions, but when I see him again I have one. Has he ever considered writing a book about his art?

The exhibition is on view at MVCA, 401 Canal Pl., Little Falls, NY through Nov. 22. The gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday 12 to 4 p.m. I encourage everybody to go check it out. For more information call 315-823-0808

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