Next Thing In Art - Frank Cole Jr.

Posted by tev95

Jun 23

BY TeV ‘95

At first it may look like just another picture of an urban landscape, but look a little closer. This is not a photo, it is a painting by a Brooklyn artist that is bringing a new perspective to street art. With his works already on display in clothing boutiques and art shows throughout NYC, Frank Cole Jr. is the next thing in art.

I had the chance to meet Frank Cole Jr. at the Art Awareness..Bringing The Gap Between The Youth And Art @ Level V in NYC on June 17th were some of his work was on display. Not only did I get the chance to meet a real down to earth dude, I was able to ask the man behind theses vivid paintings and ask him some questions.

TeV: When did you first begin doing this type of art?
Cole: I started the series “Urban Landscapes” in summer of 03.

TeV: How long does it usually take you to complete a project?
Cole: Each painting takes about a month to do, having a day job, they really take about 40 hours.

TeV: Which piece took you the longest?
Cole: The ones with lots of bricks take the longest to do. I do one brick at a time.

TeV: Who are some of your inspirations?
Cole: Inspiration comes from just seeing the right shot at the right time, the light has to be right, and the graffiti has to be cool, the over all composition is most important.

TeV: Who are some of your graffiti inspirations?
Cole: Who inspires me? All the writers that go out a do what they do, but not any one writer, a love of seeing a collage of pieces and tags on one wall.

TeV: What do you find to be the most challenging aspect in your creative process?
Cole: The most challenging part of my work is finding the perfect shot, also waiting until the end before putting on the graffiti.

TeV: What type of technical training do you have?
Cole: I went to Montserrat college of Art just outside Boston, then finished at S.V.A. with a bachelors degree in fine arts or starving artist degree.

TeV: What music do you listen to?
Cole: Music, i really listen to all music, Hip-Hop to Elvis to heavy metal.

TeV: I noticed that your art is on display at NYC’s boutique store Premium Laces. How did you hook up with Premium Laces?
Cole: How I got in “Premium Laces”?, I walked by there all the time and notice they had strong lighting and blank walls, so asked if i could hang my paintings. The manager Pete was like hey hey maybe? But when I showed with 3 paintings in hand, he said “lets hang them right now, do you have more?”

TeV: What do you think it is about your pieces that attracts people to them?
Cole: People like things they can identify with, I always get “I know where that is” or “Yo thats my block”. I paint were they live.

TeV: What would you like to be remembered for as far as your artistry?
Cole: I want people to look at my work and see that beauty is how you look at something, next time they walk down the street they can see graffiti as art. The Brooklyn landscape is as beautiful as a country landscape with mountains and rivers, we just have bricks and graffiti instead.

TeV: How can the people purchase your work?
You can buy my paintings by calling me or my wife 917 570-0184 or 212 338-4032. my e-mail frank@frankcolejr.com.