Frank Dolphin b. 1944

As a graduate in fine art from the Royal College of Art in 1966, I was taught by William Bowyer RA, Donald Hamilton-Fraser RA, Peter Blake RA and have had a career spanning over forty years. Initially I worked in London before moving to the States where I became the Distinguished Andrew Mellon Professor of Painting at Carnegie Mellon University, USA taking over from Elaine De Kooning. Whilst there, I published a lithograph with Robert Motherwell’s printer from Tanglewood Press, David Humholtz. I taught in several American universities and produced an edition at Ohio University with Tamarin printer Don Roberts. I was the Director of the Emma Lake Summer school programme at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Before returning to the UK I lived and worked as a professional artist in New York City. I now live in Kent and make prints in Brighton at Volcanic Editions studio.

Mark making and gesture are an integral part of the creative process in my print making. My work starts with a figurative image or motif which is used as a vehicle for the manipulation and development of marks emphasising their inherent characteristics. Observational drawing serves only as a support for the mark making and gestural qualities that underpin my work. I have an interest in Japanese art which has loosely influenced my work.