{"id":27237,"date":"2014-12-09T23:00:28","date_gmt":"2014-12-10T05:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=27237"},"modified":"2018-11-27T09:05:39","modified_gmt":"2018-11-27T15:05:39","slug":"gift-to-self-the-wearable-art-of-meredith-franck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/gift-to-self-the-wearable-art-of-meredith-franck\/","title":{"rendered":"Gift to Self: The Wearable Art of Meredith Franck"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"2014_12_04_15bytes_Merideth-9151\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It was not my intention to buy myself a gift. I already own a Meredith Franck original, purchased many years ago. I simply wanted to interview her and write about her newest designs, influenced by her interest in abstract art. But there\u2019s something magical about walking down the shadowy path beside her house, through the tiny backyard filled with plants and comfy cushioned seating areas, and into the cottage that is her showroom. All (well, most) budget concerns are left on the street. This is a place for draping myself in luscious fabrics, donning fashions flattering to any figure, and telling myself I deserve a little self-indulgence.<\/p>\n

If the art-critical eye were to \u201cread\u201d Franck\u2019s work the way one reads a painting, the observations might include: large geometric shapes balanced by smaller shapes and patterns; bold, but limited, color palettes with high value contrast; textural contrast, from soft and smooth to rough or crisp; asymmetry in the distribution of shapes or patterns or at the often uneven hemline; the use of \u201cfound fabric,\u201d not unlike a collage artist\u2019s use of found objects; and the use of \u201csurprises,\u201d such as a flap of contrasting fabric that takes the piece to a kinetic or sculptural dimension.<\/p>\n

Sometimes a painting is so beautiful it moves me to tears, while Franck\u2019s work moves me to grab it off the hanger and wrap myself in it. I am far from an ideal model at only 5\u20193\u201d, yet I feel elegant, even taller, as the jeans and turtleneck I wear into the cottage are transformed with the addition of Franck\u2019s jackets and vests.<\/p>\n

Franck has been making clothing since she was 11 years old, when, for her birthday, she received a sewing machine. Inspired by her mother, who sewed most of her children\u2019s clothes, Franck soon learned to make her own bell-bottom pants.\u00a0 Later she made clothes for her own children, winning the admiration and envy of other parents.<\/p>\n

In 1998, Franck began showing her work at the Lanny Bernard gallery in Park City, her first connection with the art world. Later, she would sell her designs through the boutique in Grand America Hotel, Patrick Moore Gallery and the Bill Loya boutique, all in Salt Lake City. Her work is now carried by Paletti on Highland Drive.<\/p>\n

Not only does Franck\u2019s work read like abstract art, it also results from a similar intuitive process. On her large cutting table, she may start by cutting a kimono sleeve. Then some intuitive flash may move her to add a contrasting cuff. And so it goes, with each choice a response to the decision before. \u201cA creative flow takes over me,\u201d she says. Like a painter who enjoys the materiality of the paint and surface, Franck responds to the tactile excitement of the different materials she combines.<\/p>\n

At one time Franck dyed her own silks using a process that could take weeks or months. But today she is more likely to use fabrics purchased from other artists or vintage fabrics bought in eBay auctions.<\/p>\n

As for designs, she never uses commercial patterns, but makes her own, focusing on clean lines and simple shapes that allow the colors, patterns, and textures to take center stage.<\/p>\n

Most recently, she found inspiration and energy in the works of abstract painters \u2013 from the masters to contemporary Utah artists. She\u2019s become a regular participant in the Facebook group Abstract Artists of Utah. \u201cBecause the artists are local, I can go to a show and support them,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

And it seems the support is mutual. I\u2019m not the only Salt Lake artist who enjoys wearing art as much as hanging it on my wall. Abstract painter Josanne Glass is also a Meredith Franck collector. \u201cI am drawn to color and texture within clean design \u2013 in clothing and in art,\u201d says Glass. \u201cI have always liked the more avant-garde in terms of clothing, even when working in corporate roles. Meredith\u2019s work is very much like my paintings \u2013 clean design, blocks of color. The complexity is within the blocks. Balance and deliberate imbalance. Perhaps that was part of the initial attraction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since meeting Franck, Glass has painted several works directly influenced by her pieces. The use of stripes, for example, is inspired by the sleeves on some of Franck\u2019s jackets. [see images of Glass paintings]<\/p>\n

Though Franck has enjoyed her sales relationships with galleries and boutiques, she treasures the more intimate relationship of direct sales.\u00a0 \u201cIt connects me to the people.\u00a0 I enjoy imagining my piece on the person at the event she is going to,\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t think I would be happy mass-producing anything. I would lose something. I am now on piece #653. It\u2019s not hard to track. I know who bought each piece and it makes it very personal to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Franck\u2019s career as a teacher of psycho-education classes for Salt Lake County\u2019s criminal justice division has given her the freedom to pursue art as a passion rather than a living. But there is no doubt how she will spend her time in retirement.<\/p>\n

To indulge yourself or to buy a one-of-a-kind wearable art gift for someone special, visit Paletti on Highland Drive, or the Museum of Fine Art\u2019s holiday boutique (Dec. 6), or call and make an appointment to visit Franck\u2019s magical cottage (801-835-3677). You can also visit her web site:\u00a0www.meredithfranckoriginals.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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It was not my intention to buy myself a gift. I already own a Meredith Franck original, purchased many years ago. I simply wanted to interview her and write about her newest designs, influenced by her interest in abstract art. But there\u2019s something magical about walking down the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":940,"featured_media":27291,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_piecal_is_event":false,"_piecal_start_date":"","_piecal_end_date":"","_piecal_is_allday":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,14],"tags":[2164],"class_list":["post-27237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artist_profiles","category-visual_arts","tag-meredith-franck"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/2014_12_04_15bytes_Merideth-9151.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-15 01:04:08","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/940"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27237"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40367,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27237\/revisions\/40367"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}