New class: Color and Character: Alla Prima Figure Painting in Oil

Come paint figures with me in my Sacramento studio this Fall. Only 3 spots left. Tap or click on the images above for more information about the class.

CITY OF TREES solo exhibition at Axis Gallery

Not gonna lie, I was nervous about announcing my new show, City of Trees, because it marks a return to oil painting after a 4 year rendezvous with acrylic and vinyl paint.

While unarchiving a large painting of a truck last Spring, I rediscovered several unfinished paintings from the same era. I decided to dive back in and see where the paint would take me. I felt a sense of urgency to connect and explore with color in a way that oils are uniquely suited for.

City of Trees was the former slogan of the city of Sacramento. As a recent Northern California transplant, the slogan evokes a feeling of nostalgia for a bygone time and place. Ironically, one I’ve never personally experienced. In one sense, diving back into these older canvases was a means of exploring alternate timelines and what might have been. In another, they became living metaphors of perseverance and evolution.

When I start a painting, I usually have some kind of an idea about what I want it to be, but it inevitably transforms into something that I didn’t quite foresee. A painting can’t be finished until that evolution has occurred.

City of Trees runs from January 3 - 26, 2025 at Axis Gallery (625 S Street, Sacramento, CA 95811).

The public reception is January 11, 5-8pm, with more programming to follow.

Being Both at Kondos Gallery

Last Fall, I was asked to participate in a show at Sacramento City College’s Kondos Gallery. Curated by Gioia Fonda, the show’s theme brought together four exhibiting artists from the Sacramento area who are also parents of small children.

I debuted three new works for this exhibition: Perfect Day (2019), Lawn Daisies (2019), and Rose Garden (2024).

Here I am with my paintings Lawn Daisies (2020), Rose Garden (2024), and Perfect Day (2019) at Kondos Gallery in Sacramento, CA.

The Curious, The Useful, & The Strange

The Curious, The Useful & The Strange is a group show featuring the work of Axis Gallery’s five new members.

Over 35 years in existence, Axis Gallery in Sacramento is one of Northern California’s longest-running artist collectives.

Voyage LA Feature!

A few months ago I was asked to do a brief interview for Voyage LA, an online magazine focused on the art and culture of Southern California.

I was really busy, so I asked my friend Pat if he would ghost-write the questions for me. He came up with some very good responses, don’t you think?

Meet Frank Stockton - Voyage LA

"Come Together" Closing Reception August 15

‌On Sunday, August 15 from noon-5pm I'll be holding court for the final day of Come Together, an installation of drawings and other work at Iris Project in Venice, CA. Please stop by to see the show & have a beverage with me on the lawn!
Visitors must wear a mask to enter the gallery.

Iris Project | 953 Amoroso Place, Venice, CA 90291

*If you cannot make it to the gallery, you can click here to view a slideshow of the exhibition.

Double-Jointed Spiral Reviewed by Brainard Carey

Brainard Carey recently reviewed my zine, Double-Jointed Spiral, on his YouTube channel which can be seen above or by clicking the link here.

Carey is an artist, author, and educator. He has interviewed over 1,400 artists as the host of Lives of the Artists, a podcast interview show on Yale University Radio, which you can listen to here. His book, The Art World Demystified, is a fantastic resource for art students and professionals who want to better understand the ins-and-outs of the art world. You can purchase it online from World of Books, here.

Come Together - Solo Exhibition at Iris Project

Saturday, July 24 from 12-3pm, I’ll be hanging out and drawing at Iris Project. Stop in and say hello!

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Come Together, Solo exhibition at Iris Project from July 10 - August 15, 2021.

Come Together features dozens of drawings & works on paper, preparatory drawings, sketchbooks, and videos.

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99 Typewriter Drawings Available from Curious Publishing

The book features the best of my “Typewriter Drawings” from the past year.

Click the button below to learn more and get one before they sell out. $25.

Curious Publishing presents 99 Typewriter Drawings

Back in January, I shared a digital catalog of drawings with a small number of my email newsletter recipients and readers of this blog. (you can read it here). I received a handful of requests for a physical book, but I didn’t think that it was really a possibility.

...until now!

99 Typewriter Drawings documents a recent series of drawings exploring offbeat combinations of image and text.
Each began with a typewritten fragment of text from a literary source such as Joseph Campbell, Andy Warhol, or self-help, and concluded with an improvised ink drawing.

Most spreads in 99 Typewriter Drawings include a QR code that opens a video on your phone, such as the one here.

Many of the drawings also appeared in time-lapse videos that were edited and uploaded to the web. The published videos, which are autonomous artworks of their own, are linked via QR Code in most spreads, allowing you to access another dimension of work instantly.

99 Typewriter Drawings is a full color, 5.5” X 8.5” perfect bound book of drawings completed between 2020-2021.

$25 from Curious Publishing

Available July 10, 2021

PRE-ORDER SALE: GET THE BOOK FOR JUST $15 IF YOU PURCHASE BEFORE JUNE 30

Swims

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About six years ago, I started getting into the practice of making “Artist’s Books.”
Artist’s Books are different from sketchbooks in that they revolve around a central theme or contain an over-arching idea, rather than being a place for sketching and notation.

Detail of a drawing from SWIMS

The SWIMS book was assembled in 2017 while I was exploring a motif based on a photograph of the Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky. For a period of 6-8 months, I made hundreds of sketches and dozens of monotypes of the pose, examining nuanced differences in depiction and expression. I used a typewriter to “draw” waves for the title page of the book, and hand-coiled an antique wire through the holes of the individual pages, which gives it a different look and feel from a typical coil-bound drawing book.

Swimmer, oil on un-stretched canvas (2017)

The work from SWIMS culminated in the Swimmer painting, also from 2017, which was exhibited at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Portland, Maine that same year. (Here’s a link to a blog post about the exhibition).

Most of the drawings from the cycle have been disseminated, but the ones in this book are my personal favorites.

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SWIMS
One-of-a-kind Artist’s Book
(book board, vinyl paint, antique wire, drawing paper, soy ink, typewriter ribbon, Glassine)
8.5 x 6 in., 31 pages
2017

This Son of ours

This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious.
He will not obey us.
He is a glutton and a drunkard.

1 minute video with sound, 2020

NFT available on Foundation
https://foundation.app/FrankStockton/this-son-of-ours-27973

Interview - Shoutout LA

I did a short interview with Shoutout LA a little while ago and it was just published. Check it out!

https://shoutoutla.com/meet-frank-j-stockton-artist/
(The link opens in a new window, but the entire interview is pasted below)

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We had the good fortune of connecting with Frank J. Stockton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Frank J., let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I’m inspired by people who take the initiative to see their creative projects through.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Ten years ago, I was an editorial illustrator living in Brooklyn when I saw the paintings of Philip Guston for the first time. The raw imagery and tactile surfaces shocked me and I knew the moment I saw them that I was born to paint.
A series of abstract paintings based on the neighborhood of Park Slope earned my acceptance to grad school at UCLA in 2012. I was in over my head for the entire first year — it was like learning a new language. I can’t overstate how much I learned from fellow grads like Brooks Turner, Kim Truong, Emily Sudd, Paul Sepuya, Sarah Sarchin, Anthony Miserendino, Calvin Marcus, Ravi Jackson, and Bridget Beck, and from professors like Patty Wickman, Lari Pittman, and Roger Herman.

Most of my work uses line and color to depict fantasy and/or doomsday scenarios. I trust my intuition and in the collision of ideas above all else.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This summer I’m showing some new drawings at a gallery called Iris Project in the Venice Walk Streets, a pedestrian-only neighborhood with no city streets between homes.

I have a three year-old on the West Side, so my favorite spots are all outdoors and family-friendly. Burton Chase Park is right on the water in Marina Del Rey. It’s got a lot of grass, walking paths, and is nestled into the arena. There are lots of sailboats to look at, and plenty of sea lions lounging on the surrounding docks. The UCLA Sculpture Garden is also a wonderful place to explore. There are dozens of beautiful sculptures to look at and lots of grass and shade. Solstice Canyon is an easy hiking trail in Malibu that features the ruins of an old mansion nestled up against a waterfall and creek. You have to arrive really early because there aren’t enough parking spots.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My wife Vanessa reminds me to celebrate the victories, big and small. I couldn’t do it without her.

Website: www.frankstockton.com

Instagram: @fjstockton

Twitter: @frankstockton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrankJStockton

Other: https://foundation.app/frankstockton

Iris Project Gallery: https://www.irisproject.com/

Summer 2020 Fundraiser

I’m excited to share that I am participating in an online art sale fundraiser to benefit the Cooperative Community of New West Jackson.

The Cooperative Community of New West Jackson has an innovative approach to community building and outreach that deserves support and attention right now. Please check out the link to learn about the good work they are doing.

My donated work for the fundraiser. Frame provided by Iris Project gallery in Venice Beach, CA.

Online Art Sale Fundraiser
Goes live on Saturday, July 25th at midnight, but with the password you can access it right now: https://www.skow2015forlife.com/ Password: SKOW2015

The Skowhegan Class of 2015 stands together in solidarity and support of civil justice and amplifying Black voices. We invite you to join us in the active fight against systemic oppression. 100% of the proceeds from this art sale will go to the Cooperative Community of New West Jackson.

Each of the artworks in the fundraiser are priced at just $300, and offered directly from the artist. The pictured work on paper by yours truly is 9x11 inches in a frame generously provided by Iris Project in Venice, CA. https://irisproject.com/

Participating Artists:
Alex Jackson, Anna Maria Gomez Lopez, Anna Queen, Annesofie Sandal, Cal Siegel, Charlotte Lagro, Elisa Harkins, Erica Wessmann, Erik Patton, Frank J. Stockton, Ginny Huo, Gonçalo Sena, James Maurelle, Jamie Williams, Jane Westrick, Jeff Prokash, Jesse England, Jim Leach, Jordan Seaberry, Madeline Hollander, Maia Cruz Palileo, Mathilde Ganancia, Neil Carroll, Nick Fagan, Nobutaka Aozaki, Oscar Rene Cornejo, Rachel Granofsky, Scott Anderson, Sophie Grant, Stephen Cottingham, Sean Glover.


The sale is first come, first served. Please click through the link and take a look. The password is SKOW2015.

It's been too long since the last time I reached out. Looking at my calendar, I see that it's been nearly a year since my last newsletter -- far too long. 2020 has been unexpectedly challenging for so many reasons, as you know. But I look forward to writing again before too long.

Group Show in Berlin, Germany - June 2019

At the end of this month, I am packing some artwork into a suitcase and heading to Berlin. As a part of the B-LA Connect Exchange, the SomoS Art House in Berlin will be hosting Nothing Special Los Angeles for a one-week exhibition. As the proprietor of this little space, I will be presenting the work of six California-based artists (including myself). The show will include work by:

Mark Flores, Julienne Fusello, Anthony Miserendino, Jeff St. Andrews, Frank J. Stockton, and William E. Jones.

Click here to view the Nothing Special's website. Please sign up for the mailing list if it looks like something you're interested in following. Nothing Special is also on Instagram as @nothingspeciallosangeles. B-LA Connect is on Instagram @b_la_connect. I will return to LA from Berlin on June 13.

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James Iveson at Southwillard - Slideshow Review

This review was originally shared to my Instagram Stories Feed.

Dirty Protest at the Hammer Museum - Slide Show Review

This review was originally shared to my Instagram Stories Feed.