FraNs FreNgeN

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Creating Beauty from Ashes

By Tiarra Tompkins

Each of us will face tragedy in our lives. The pain, recovery, and rebirth that comes from adversity are as unique as our fingerprints. To describe the gamut of experiences and feelings that each one contains can be overwhelming, and yet, there is also tremendous beauty that comes from these experiences. Each opportunity and lesson a chance to take what they taught us and use it to serve others. From racial division to global warming, we are bombarded daily with loss, devastation, and division. How can humanity rise like the phoenix from these proverbial ashes?

Through artistic creation, Master Fumagine artist, Frans Frengen, paints with flame. They are bringing the right ashes into the beauty of his work. Creating art with ashes and soot, Frengen paints with a flame, creating paintings and sculptures of soot and installing smoke, allowing us to see that beauty, hope, and restoration comes from the ashes. For a world suffering from rampant wildfires, systemic racism, and gender inequality, Frengen brings vision and hope with his work. Inspired by this technique of using real fire, ashes, and soot, real conversations around environmental conservation have been ignited, bringing into view so much that our world is suffering a loss.

Original from Belgium, Frans Frengen is one of the most genuine contemporary artists to emerge on the scene, developing a work process that is as intriguing as his artwork. Feng studied painting and drawing under prominent artists for some years before acquiring the signature "Imagine" technique that forms the basis for much of his work. Despite the bold, thick lines, smudgy appearance, and simple nature of Frengen's drawings and paintings, they are still highly detailed and reveal the artist's deep level of skill and technique. It may still be decades before our world comes together in peace to face the obstacles facing our species and our planet. When we are striving for unity, artists like Frans Frengen are opening doors to critical conversations. Inspiring people from all over the globe to ask more questions about challenging topics. Questions like, what can we do to make a difference? To bring awareness to global problems, share support for environmental conservation, and share a vision of the beauty that truly comes from ashes.

“To Eternity” Fumagine/Acrylic/Movable Dots/Movable Square, 10.8”x10.8” “Rebuilt Space, In Broken Red And Blue” Fumagine/Acrylic/Movable Dots/Movable Square, 10.8”x10.8”

“Rebuilt Space, Black And White With Blobs Of Paint” Fumagine/Acrylic/Movable Dots/ Movable Square,10.5”x10.5”