The artist, Frank Jennings, was born 1950 in Bradford. For over 40 years he has specialised in creating assemblages within a box format. He has said of his work:
I like the idea of putting everyday mundane objects together and organising them. The objects retain their own identity but at the same time suggest another concept.
‘Surrealist Hermit Crab Museum’.
From 1950 – 1967, Frank lived with his family on the Ravensliffe Estate, and later in the Peel Park area of Bradford, and attended Eccleshill Secondary School. Frank had always been interested in art and had received significant support from art teachers at the school, but to satisfy parental aspirations he applied for a four year engineering apprenticeship with the Metal Box Company, Shipley.
However, in addition to his part-time engineering studies, Frank attended evening classes at Keighley College to study for an A level in Art:
At this time I was invited to attend a life drawing class on an ad hoc basis. I once had the pleasure of sitting alongside Joseph Pighills, who I very much admired. I managed to pass my A level Art by the skin of my teeth, That year I cobbled together a portfolio of artwork and applied to take the one year Art Foundation Course where the second skin of my teeth episode occurred and I was accepted.
Although he did not subsequently pursue employment in engineering, the precision machine skills learned on the course have served him well in his art career.
The Art Foundation Course at Bradford College, led Frank to complete and graduate from a Fine Art degree at Leeds Polytechnic, 1972-75, followed by a one year PGCE teacher training course at Leeds University, 1976/77.
On completion of his PGCE, he was offered a post as an assistant to the Canadian sculptor, Uyllse Comtois, and whilst in Canada he studied for a M.A. in Fine Arts (Visual Arts) at the Concordia University, Montreal, 1977-9, and in 1979 had a solo exhibition of his work at a gallery in Montreal.
On his return to Britain, he taught art part-time in the Bradford and Leeds areas, before securing a permanent post in 1983 at the Art Department of South Downs College, Hampshire, where he worked until his retirement as Head of Art in 2008.
‘Tall Stories’.
Parallel to his teaching career, and subsequently since his retirement, Frank has pursued his own art career. Since 1971, his work has been widely exhibited in over 100 shows, including solo shows in the Yorkshire region at the Ilkley College Gallery and Zillah Bell Gallery, Thirsk, as well as regional group shows at the South Square Gallery, Thornton, and St. Paul’s Gallery, Leeds.
‘Fragile Reliquary’
Further afield, his work has been shown at solo shows at: The Turnpike Gallery, Petersfield; Havant Arts Centre; and Circle Gallery, Southsea. Group or joint shows have included those at The Serpentine Gallery, London; Manchester City Art Gallery; Artsite Gallery, Bath; Anatol Orient Gallery, London; and Liverpool Maritime Museum.
From 1995, his work has been shown in nine ‘Discerning Eye’ exhibitions at The Mall Galleries, London. His art work was also featured in 1973 at the Northern Young Contemporaries Exhibition at the Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester.
Frank now lives near Petersfield, Hampshire, and his work has been regularly featured in regional art shows in Hampshire and Sussex areas, including ‘Out of the Box’ at Brighton; Hampshire Open Art Studios; National Open Art Competition, Chichester; and Amanda Aldous Gallery, Hook, Hampshire.
‘All at Sea’
With thanks to Frank Jennings for his permission to use the images shown above.
More information:
- Frank Jennings talking about his work to David Cook, for the Directory of Storytelling, on YouTube at ‘What’s in the box?’
Artist Contact: Frank Jennings