Elizabeth Frank

"There are stories within each found object that I work with or piece of wood that I carve, whispered conversations and forest sounds. Each material has a memory etched into it by time and weather. I dip my finger into that well of stories and try to pull out the essence."

In a rooftop studio in the desert southwest, Elizabeth Frank creates a world populated by wooden people, plants and animals. She combines carved wood with found elements to make works that are inspired by a love of the natural world and a belief in the resilience of human spirit. She infuses each of her artworks with an appreciation for life's mysteries and moments of grace.

Every year Elizabeth Frank travels to the mountains to collect aspen wood. It is dried in a room on her studio roof and then the rough logs are shaped on a band saw. She carves the delicate forms with hand and power tools. The carvings are combined with found materials such as antique tin and vintage hardware. The surface is made with layers of iridescent wash, repeated sanding, painted details and wax.

Elizabeth Frank received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Arizona State University. Her love of found things was sparked while working in the film industry where she was often hired to locate hard to find items for set decoration. After completing her degree she continued acquiring technical skills, most notably, studying language and sculpture in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.