Meet Alice Franklin, architect, artist, meditator, creator of beautiful things. Alice explores the fascinating intersection of precision and passion. Alice is also a Hester van Eeghen enthusiast and customer.
Shape, color, and surprise are all elements that Hester uses in her designs and these fundamentals are also present in Alice's work. That is probably why I like it so much. I am especially fond of the three dimensional pieces that draw you in to a unique world.
I interviewed Alice Franklin last week to learn more about her inspirations and her work.
Q - How
would you describe your creative work?
I think of my work as an attempt to describe energy and
nature. The patterns are a description of the movement and flow of energies as
elements interact in the piece and with the viewer. Most people can relate to
these patterns as mandalas which can induce a meditative quality for the
viewer, but they aren’t confined to a flat surface since I am always interested
in structure. I experience and see energy in space and I try to create that
experience for others. My other creative work is usually done in fiber and is
functional and recycled. The structure of the design, honoring the integrity of
the material, and providing an option of uses are what interest me.
Q - What
is your background/formal training?
I have an undergraduate and masters graduate degree in
Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. In addition, I have
over 25 years of experience in Taoist/Buddhist meditation practice and
learning.
Q - What
are the biggest influences on your work?
For design, my first big influence was a professor who
taught me well how to respect and understand the nature of whatever material I
am handling. This professor was a design teacher, not so much an architecture
professor, so what I learned was how to design, whatever the program, whatever
the scale or materials. After that, my biggest influence is my spiritual Teacher. A
path of self-discovery is always an influence on an artist.
Q. Who
are your three favorite artists at the moment and why?
My favorite artist these past few years is
Lee Bontecou. She
was a prominent artist in NYC from the late 50’s to around 1970. She was part
of the group whose work was shown regularly at Leo Castelli gallery. For 25
years or so, she retreated to her farm in rural Pennsylvania and worked on her
own without the influence or knowledge of the “art world.” She had a major
retrospective in 2003 which is when I first came to know her work. I am inspired
both by her story, her faith in herself and her work, as well as the work
itself.
Recently, I was blown away by
Theo Jansen who is a Dutch
artist who creates Strandbeests from plastic pipe. These “living” beasts walk
on the beach, propelled by the wind to kick up sand to help preserve the
beaches and dunes in Holland. They are so magical. The integration of a need--
the ecology-- the design and the art are so amazing to me.
I also love
Mike and Doug Starn who built the bamboo
structure on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Big Bambu. They have a
huge warehouse studio somewhere along the Hudson River Valley. They have
created other bamboo structures and filmed the evolution of the construction. I
was so impressed with the Big Bambu-- not just as a structure, but as a group
building project, as an organic form and by the use of the materials.
Q. What
are a few of your favorite things?
I love nesting things, and I love tiny things. I love my
iPad. I love interesting clothing design-- clever use of the fabric, the
joinery, and other details.
Q. What
is it about Hester's designs that resonate with you?
The design-- themes I’ve already mentioned. Not just the
structured bags, but more often the ones that have several iterations and
interesting details are my favorites.
Q - Where
can we find you on the web?
I try not to be on the web. Before my website, you could
google me and come up with nothing. I loved that. But now I have my website:
alicefranklinstudio.com
