A DENNISTOUN artist has narrowly missed out on a prestigious prize after his portrait of Star Trek actor Sir Patrick Stewart made it to the final of the Guildford House Open Art competition.
Frank To, whose stunning gunpowder artworks have won acclaim across the country, was one of only two Scottish finalists after more than 1000 people entered.
Sir Patrick is a collector of Frank’s work, having been a fan of the artist since he was at university.
“I think if I’m being honest, the whole series of successes I’ve been having is humbling,” said Frank. “I know that when it comes to my art, I want to continuously push myself so that I can discover new methods and possibilities, such as my portrait of Sir Patrick Stewart.
“My constant need to challenge and better myself in my craft is now recognised by various art establishments.”
Frank, who was recently elected as co-vice president of the Society of Scottish Artists, is also celebrating this week as his works included in an exhibition at the South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts in Devon have sold out.
He was the only Scottish artist selected for the exhibition. His work has also been accepted into the Royal Ulster Academy exhibition at the Ulster Museum in Belfast, and again, he is the only Scot selected.
“I’m proud to carry the banner for Scottish arts in these institutions, organisations and competitions,” he said.
“This year has been exciting, but tough too because of the cost of living crisis. I’m looking forward to what 2024 will bring.”
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here