Email: odea.frank@gmail.com
Balla Bán Art Gallery
Balla Ban Art Gallery is based Dublin City where a selection of Frank’s artworks can be seen. His art is also on permanent display at Il Fico Italian Restaurant, Chatham Street. Dublin 2.
The View and the Vino, oil on canvas
Who are you and what type of work do you do?
I’m a painter and art gallery owner – my gallery, Balla Bán Art Gallery (which is the Irish for “white wall”) is a small boutique art gallery based in Dublin city centre and apart from my own artworks, I sell art from both emerging and well established contemporary Irish artists.
What’s your background?
I have been painting for the past 15 years and while I did not attend formal art college I have been regularly going to evening art classes as well as self taught. My art gallery is now five years old and it is building up a loyal base of art collectors and followers both from the domestic and over seas market.
What art do you most identify with?
The art I most identify with is by artists such as Scottish/Italian artist Jack Vettriano, Belfast artist, Roy Wallace, Graham Knuttel, and stylised figurative paintings that convey a story and/or humour encounters.
What work do you most enjoy doing?
Lately I have enjoyed painting lunar landscapes as well as Mars using palette knife and thicker paint to create the surface.
Which of your art work pieces says the most about you?
Perhaps my colour oil paintings of cafe/bar social scenes or musicians would be the answer to this question. I do love people watching and the interactions that go on in this environment. As a musician myself (piano/guitar) I also love to paint musicians having played in piano restaurants around Dublin for many years.
Which of your art work pieces says the most about you?
My dream project seems to be constantly [changing] as I get new inspirations and ideas but I would like to put on an exhibition that features my upcycled artworks – old/broken/disused mannequins that I have painted in abstract designs along with old/broken musical instruments and to showcase at a music or entertainment venue. I call the upcycled mannequin art my “Shady Ladies” and “Shady Men” and I think they are very eye catching and humourous.
C4C Arts 