Bio
American painter and sculptor, Frank Sunseri (born: 1950, Stockton, California) is the grandson of Sicilian immigrants. Never poor in spirit, these hard working people survived the Great Depression and their desperate emigration from the American South to San Francisco in the 1930's, eventually selling cherries at a roadside stand in Lodi, California with the help of their young grandson. Their
abundance of love and loyalty to family laid creative touchstones that Sunseri returns to daily: a passion for life, a love of simplicity, the value of traditions, and laughter - when all else fails. Sunseri is largely self taught, and was fortunate to find mentors in his youth. His father had a knack for drawing, creating advertising signs for his work as a beverage merchandiser. Roque Barrera, his art teacher in high school and later in college, demanded a serious course of art study. Malcolm Moran hired Sunseri early in his professional career to produce welded metal works in Moran's Studio in Carmel, California. In 1968, Sunseri joined the US Air Force, was trained to load bombs on F4 fighter jets and stationed in Thailand near the Laotian border during the Viet Nam War. Among his better memories of that time are the people of Thailand who welcomed him to family meals and taught him simple phrases in Thai. They, too, found time for artful living, despite the ravages of war within minutes of their homes. Returning to the US in 1973 he became a certified gas welder for PG&E in Oakland--and discovered his first sculpture medium of welded steel. From 1975-2004, Frank created welded sculptures and sold them through his galleries near Fisherman’s Wharf and later on Cannery Row in Monterey, California. He established himself as a Fine Art sculptor creating free from steel and bronze welded works which have been collected internationally. When friend and stone sculptor, Dennis Handy, gave Sunseri a chunk of Carrara marble from a building that collapsed in the 1989 San Francisco earthquake—he picked up hammer and chisel and began creating free-form sculptures in stone. His marble and alabaster works are also widely collected. Always seeking the old ways, he visited Florence, Italy in 2000 and was inspired to begin painting oils on canvas in the chiaroscuro style of the old masters. His independent studies of the painting process from the notes of Vassari, Cennini, Da Vinci, and early 20th century Louvre curator, Jaques Maroger, led him to experiment with various paints and resins, finding his own formula for the glazing style he currently uses. Sunseri’s art philosophy bucks the trend of most modern artists. His paintings are metaphors for hope and optimism—light emerging from the darkness. A reflection of the old masters philosophy—who created an Age of Enlightenment. Sunseri’s memories of his grandparents continue to influence the artist to live a simple lifestyle and maintain a highly disciplined daily schedule of painting and sculpting. He lives with his wife, MaryLee, in Monterey, California. |
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