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Kelly Franké specializes in portraits, but her portraits are a little bit different from what you might be accustomed to seeing. They are portraits of places, not people. 

Franké draws houses and other buildings, from landmarks like lighthouses and windmills to businesses, capturing the artistry inherent in their architecture.

“I have two sides to my business. The first side is large-scale fine art that I sell mostly through galleries,” she said. “The second  half is commissioned artwork. These are primarily home portraits for clients and realtors.”Franké does charcoal drawings typically on birch wood, using different grains to create backgrounds.

For commissioned work, she offers three media to choose from: charcoal drawings on birch, graphite drawings on paper and  watercolors.

“When you’re a young artist, one of the mediums they give you to learn is  charcoal,” she said. “It’s a really good way to get students to loosen up and look at composition. People tend not to stick with charcoal, because it’s a tricky medium.”

The daughter of a professional illustrator, Franké says she grew up in her father’s studio, “mimicking him.” She got a bachelor of fine arts at Alfred University and a master of fine arts degree from Indiana University.  Franké discovered charcoal drawing on wood by mistake.

“I was outside drawing all the time,” she said. “I’d take a drawing board and clip the paper to the wood. One day the wind wasn’t cooperating. I crumpled up the paper and ended up drawing directly on the wood board.” 

She liked what she saw and started drawing on wood, picking out wood grains which she worked into her compositions.

“When drawing on wood, the first thing I do is study its grain,” she says on her website. “Each piece tells a story, defines a mood.”

Although her work often includes landscape, she doesn’t usually draw only  nature. “I never just do trees and water,” Franké added. “There’s always going to be an architectural element. It may be bridges or a boatyard. That kind of thing.”

She specializes in architecture, capturing the patterns and personality of places. Some of her work is visible on her website at kellyfranke.com. On Instagram, she can be found at @kellyfrankeart.

“I’m attracted to anything with linear, architectural elements,” she said. “My  clients are typically homeowners, people gifting to homeowners, or realtors who want great closing gifts.”

In most cases, she works from photos provided to her, although she said she can take photographs herself.

”Every building has unique architectural elements,” Franké added “I like to find personality in a building’s shingles, roofing, and unique details. The surrounding foliage also has a lot of character.”

This article appeared in the June 2022 issue of Behind The Hedges. Read the full digital version of the magazine here. For more Master Craftsman columns, click here.