“To take what there is, and use it…to dig deep into the actual and get something out of that—this doubtless is the right way to live.” –Henry James
Lynchburg-native Frank Hobbs is a painter, printmaker, and draughtsman whose paintings capture what there is in the rural and urban landscapes of Virginia, Ohio, and Italy. Distinct lighting, an earthy palette, and a soft focus convey his consistent vision and the act of painting from observation.
Hobbs’ process is a mindful response to his environs, which includes his native and adopted homes of Virginia and Delaware, Ohio and the Italian sites he frequently visits. Quick sketches on location record the “transience of light and weather” and are complemented by “longer meditations” in the studio. “The goal is to construct a living metaphor in color, shape, and mark for my experience of the concrete world.” Reflective of the details and the process, Hobbs’ landscapes simultaneously convey a clear verisimilitude and an abstract distillation of form.
While details are distinct, the paintings’ formal similarities convey deep connections to these places. Green, ochre, and rust, mark fields and industrial infrastructure alike; blue and gray fill skies, rivers, and cityscapes. The elegant geometry of overpasses in Cleveland or Richmond is echoed in Ohioan barns and Tuscan towns. Curvy trees, mountains, riverbanks and utility towers center our focus, while straight farms, fences, electrical lines, and factories frame scenes. Chiaroscuro articulates edges of forms, and painterly strokes suggest impressions of familiar places. Digging deep into the actual, Hobbs changes how we see the natural and manmade landscapes around us.
Frank Hobbs is a graduate of Virginia Tech and recieved his MFA from American University in Washington, DC. He is the recipient of numerous fellowships, grants, and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the Vermont Studio Center, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Ohio Arts Council. His work is in many public and private collections including the Art Museum of Western Virginia, The University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Lynchburg College and Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. He is Associate Professor of Fine Arts at Ohio Wesleyan University.
