The Grand Intimate. Todd Frahm, artist
By Gina Malone
Todd Frahm realized early that it was his “responsibility to be the difficult child” in his family. He was fortunate also to discover the answer to that calling. “I slowly gravitated toward art as a way to seek validation and a means of expression,” he says, “but more importantly because the process of problem solving, designing and fabricating sculpture was incredibly fulfilling to me.”
Anywhere But Here. Todd Frahm, artist
Although his parents never discouraged his pursuit of art, they couldn’t see it as a clear career path. “Their insistence on a fallback career led me to academia,” he says, “one of the only guaranteed paychecks in art.” He had obtained a BFA in sculpture from the University of Illinois and an MFA from Southern Illinois University. “Since grad school, I have taught sculpture at a private sculpture studio in Santa Monica, worked for a foundry, taught at Santa Monica College, taught art to famous kids and the kids of famous people at a private high school and taught at Fullerton College,” he says. “Then I moved back to the Midwest and taught sculpture at Indiana University in Bloomington for several years before finally settling in Asheville.”
Eventually, Frahm realized that he would never be good at both teaching art and trying to create his own large, public sculptures. “Teaching kept me socialized and somewhat normal, but I knew I would always wonder what my life could have been had I pursued art full-time,” he says. “And while regular pay is a hard habit to break, I finally quit teaching in 2012. Work is feast or famine. When I have a commission, I long for the freedom to make quirkier small works. When I don’t have a commission, I live with the constant fear that I’ve made my last dime from art and will have to start working the streets.”
Birth of Flight. Todd Frahm, artist
When it comes to subjects for his eye-catching sculptures, Frahm says it’s the animals that step up to be recognized. “I have always been drawn to the honesty and simplicity of animals,” he says. “Their motives are uncomplicated, and the vast majority of them live in relative equilibrium with their environment. Initially, I was just interested in representational homage to the simple beauty of a given animal. More and more, I find myself anthropomorphizing animals in order to highlight the absurdity of humans. Wit has always been a protective arrow in my quiver and therefore it’s an essential ingredient of most of my work.”
His work was displayed recently as part of Grovewood Gallery’s Enchanted Garden Art Show, where it offered a “sense of wonder and reflection,” says Ashley Van Matre, marketing manager at Grovewood Gallery. “His ability to combine technical mastery with playful storytelling makes his work resonate with visitors of all ages.”
Frahm works with a variety of mediums for his sculptures. “Many of my large, public commissions are carved limestone,” he says. “As stones go, limestone is relatively easy to carve and also very durable. Stone, however, lacks spontaneity and that’s where clay comes in. Clay enables me to make gestural, fluid forms in a very short space of time. When the fragility of clay becomes a nuisance, I switch to bronze. Bronze casting is a meticulous process that involves making and remaking the same piece several times over. The end result is rich and resilient, but the process becomes monotonous.
Wading Game. Todd Frahm, artist
Lastly, there’s wood. Wood is perhaps the best of all worlds. Choosing the right wood for the right piece. A simple grain for a complex form and a figured wood for a simple shape. Wood has a tangible history and every tree has a story. Some species are versatile, while many require climate control to maintain the stability of the sculpture. Wood can be loud and fast with chainsaws and grinders or quiet and meditative with a variety of finely honed chisels.”
The problem-solving aspect of sculpture keeps Frahm motivated. “There’s a constant tug of war between wanting to make a piece that clearly demonstrates my understanding of form and wanting to take liberties and license to imbed my work with something indefinable that is completely intuitive,” he says. “I love recognizing keepable mistakes; seeing an unintended mark or shape, but listening to the part of me that knows not to change it.
Time and Wisdom. Todd Frahm, artist
I don’t ever know if anything is finished. Usually a deadline or a kid’s soccer game will dictate the completion of a sculpture. Someone recently said, ‘we all die unresolved.’ I haven’t made a sculpture that doesn’t contain some facet that I am now capable of improving, but every mistake I’ve ever made will inform the next piece I make.”
Visits to Todd Frahm’s Stone Cloud Studio are by appointment. Learn more at StoneCloudStudio.com, or follow on Instagram @stonecloudstudio. See his work locally at Grovewood Gallery, in Asheville.
