Frank Fleming
Born in Bear Creek, Alabama. “As a Southerner and having Southern blood run through my veins and universal thoughts come from my brains, I choose to continue living and working in the south….My basic understanding og nature gives me a large and never-ending sketch pad from which to work….what I do is a direct result of the region, with its distinct culture, lore, and climate, and all this directly affects what I do.”
Frank Fleming was born in notheastern Alabama in 1940. He went to the University of North Alabama to major in speech therapy and just happened to minor in art. After graduating , Fleming worked as an illustrator before he attended the Universoty of Alabama to get his master’s in fine arts. He was planning to use his background in ceramics to teach, but before finishing in 1973, he discovered he could make a living by selling his artwork. Fleming recognizes funk sculptor Robert Arneson, who pioneered the use of porcelain as a sculptural medium by creating unconventional objects such as toilets or toasters, as his biggest influence. Since 1975, most of Fleming’s sculptures have been unglazed porcelain, with many cast in bronze.
Fleming most often works with animal themes, but adds human features and details for a unique anthropomorphic twist. Fleming’s appeal is linked to his ability to create something universal out of native materials and a distinctly southern heritage. One of Fleming’s trademark details is a solid surface on every animal’s eyes. This is a conscious decision not to let anyone get too clode to his creations or to him. “That’s why I do the eyes solid, without pupils,” Fleming says. “They say that’s how you get to the soul of a man.”
Frank Fleming was born in notheastern Alabama in 1940. He went to the University of North Alabama to major in speech therapy and just happened to minor in art. After graduating , Fleming worked as an illustrator before he attended the Universoty of Alabama to get his master’s in fine arts. He was planning to use his background in ceramics to teach, but before finishing in 1973, he discovered he could make a living by selling his artwork. Fleming recognizes funk sculptor Robert Arneson, who pioneered the use of porcelain as a sculptural medium by creating unconventional objects such as toilets or toasters, as his biggest influence. Since 1975, most of Fleming’s sculptures have been unglazed porcelain, with many cast in bronze.
Fleming most often works with animal themes, but adds human features and details for a unique anthropomorphic twist. Fleming’s appeal is linked to his ability to create something universal out of native materials and a distinctly southern heritage. One of Fleming’s trademark details is a solid surface on every animal’s eyes. This is a conscious decision not to let anyone get too clode to his creations or to him. “That’s why I do the eyes solid, without pupils,” Fleming says. “They say that’s how you get to the soul of a man.”
(American, 1940 – 2018)
View objects by this artist.